The Story of a Trapped Birdkid
by Miz636
Summary: Three year old Erika is an avian-hybrid stuck in the Itex of Flint, Michigan. She's been stuck there her entire life, and when she's finally moved from what has been her home for a year, her life begins to undergo a series of changes.
1. Chapter 1

******_This is the story of Erika, my original character from my story Old and New Attack. You do not have to have read that to understand this story, though after it's done, or before it's done, you might want to go read both Old and New Collide and Old and New Attack as they fit with this story. This is told comepletely from Erika's Point of View and starts when she's the age of three and she's in Flint, Michigan inside an Itex building. The rest you'll learn in this chapter. Please, enjoy this first chapter, and the entire story._**

**Chapter One**

I have to be dreaming, this has to be a dream, but it seems so real!

I look around from my view point at the top of a hill. I'm seeing plains, hundreds of acres of just plains. Not a building in sight. I can also see a huge forest with all of its trees, none chopped down. There are pure-water rivers all over; no pollution in them at all.

I'm seeing the outside in the way I imagine it by what I've been told. I've been told that it's pure and beautiful; or it will be…

It's slowly destroyed. Piece by piece it's changed into a land of buildings - a city. My beautiful paradise is gone; transformed into a horrible, busy, disgusting, and polluted city.

A car comes towards me, the driver on a cell phone and probably drunk. I'm crossing the street and don't see or hear the car until it hits me. I'm falling now, gone. Then, I feel myself waking up…

…I sit up. I look around and see bars. I sigh and sit back. I'm in my cage in the Itexicon building in Flint, Michigan.

I open my tiny black-and-white wings and put one of the metal bars of my cage between the spots where my wings attach to my back as I lean back. My wings stick out of the cage and I feel a bit calmer because of the cool metal there.

I let myself relax as my tired mind and body feels its need for sleep and rest. I fall asleep…

I wake up, but it only feels like it's been five minutes, even though I know it's been longer.

Looking through the bars of my small-sized cage, I see the other cages in the room and realize that I'm the last one in the room up.

I've learned over the past year that except for me, this room is used for experiments that are going to die in the next couple of weeks, or if the experiment is lucky, they last a month. Most only lasted a week, a week and a half, or two weeks, and most that pass that only lasted three weeks, but I've seen a few last a month.

Taking a closer look at the experiments themselves, I see that two had died last night and two new ones are in their places. One of the two had been one of the lucky ones and had lasted three and a half weeks in here. The other… had lasted six days…

I feel bad for every experiment that comes in here. The scientists tell them that being in here means that they'll be stronger and last longer. I know this because in the beginning, every experiment repeats those words over and over, like a prayer in a way.

Truthfully, I'm the only experiment in the room ever taken out alive. I'm the only one tested on that's in this room. I'm also the one that every person in this room thinks is going to die. Whenever I'm taken for testing, the newest experiments mutter under their breath that I'm being taken from the safe room and that I won't come back; I always do.

For a year I've been in this room, watching in horror at the beginning and now just feeling sad as every day another experiment dies. For a year experiments have muttered around me about how they're going to live and how one day I'm not going to come back to this room. For a year I've lived this fear-filled life of how I'm going to be the next one to drop dead. For a year I've worried that I won't come back to this room…

Now that nightmare has come true.

A scientist walks into the room with something I recognize from a year ago: a room change order. Looking closely, I see that it's for me and I sit up.

They're finally, after a year, taking me out of this room of death? I guess so because the scientist opens the door of my cage and motions for me to get out.

I get out of the cage and follow the scientist to the door. The other experiments are muttering the usual, especially because of the form in the scientist's hands. They all can tell that I'm not coming back and a few of the ones that have been moved around just _know_ that I'm leaving for good this time, and they know it for sure.

I'm led into a new room with a bunch of medium-sized cages in it. They're all larger than the cage I had in the room of death, but I don't see any experiments in them at the moment. There are six cages in the room in total, so that means five other experiments, probably.

The scientist roughly forces me into the smallest cage in the room. I sit on my knees by the door to the cage, holding the bars and sticking my head in between two bars as far as I can without it getting stuck, and watch the scientist leave the room before sitting back. Silence floods into me like nothing I've ever felt before. It's been a year since I've been in a room alone.

Looking around the room, I realize how different being alone is compared to that room of death where there were always at least fifty others with me, waiting for their deaths without knowing it. The other five cages tell me that I won't be alone in here, but it _will_ be much quieter, and that will be a big change.

I lean back into the bars of my cage, close my eyes, and go into a half-awake half-asleep sort of sleep. I can sense what's around me, but I can't look around anymore; I'm too tired to open my eyes. I just let my hearing do the seeing while I rest my eyes.

The more awake part of my mind is trying to figure out why I'm so tired. With a sudden realization that wakes me up for a little at least, I remember that I had been put through a very energy-demanding test yesterday. My body's only trying to get that lost energy back by sleeping it off, since that's the easiest way to get energy when they barely feed you.

I close my eyes again, relax my body against a bar, and fall back to an uneasy sleep. I'm still awake enough to wake up at any sudden noise, though, and that's why it's an uneasy slumber.

My alertness wakes me up full of adrenaline just before the door opens and five others are led it. I stay back so that I'm not seen right away and watch as they're forced into their cages before the – wolf-men I've seen around Itex leave the room. Then I hear a voice.

"Stupid Eraser clawed my arm." I hear the shuffle of clothing as the boy, or at least it sounds like a boy, put his shirt on the cut.

"They got you _again_?" It's a girl talking this time. "Don't you know how to _not_ get hurt by those Erasers yet Kyle?"

The first boy, Kyle, growls. "Of course I know _how_ to Jen, but it's so much more fun to irritate them!"

"Kyle," a new voice starts, "_try_ not to irritate the Erasers again, okay?"

"Fine… but only because it's you, Shawn."

The boy, Shawn, sighs. "Sorry Jen, but that's the best I can do."

"Hey, at least he'll stop. That's all I'm asking for."

"Guys…" It's a new voice; another boy.

"Yes, Brandon?" The fifth and final person finally speaks, and it's another girl.

"I thought you'd like to know that the sixth cage has finally been filled…"

The room falls silent except for everyone's breathing and the sounds of the other four, or maybe only three, shuffling around to try and see me. I stay in the back of my cage as I wonder how that kid, Brandon, had known I was here. None of the others had been even close to noticing me, or at least Kyle, Jen, and Shawn hadn't been. I can't say anything about the fifth one.

After a few minutes of silence, the fifth person, the girl without a name yet, speaks. "Hey there. I'm Alexa. What's your name?"

I'm so scared that I can't answer. I think my answer: _My name is Erika._ I just can't bring myself to open my mouth as say it out loud. I can't even move.

"Alexa," Kyle sighs. "Don't bother. It's probably another failure of an experiment that can't think, let alone talk."

That stung me into replying. "I can to think and talk!"

"Oh," That's all that the stupid boy Kyle can say.

"Do you have a name?" I can tell Alexa is the kind one of the group. Or at least she's being the kindest one.

"Yeah, it's Erika."

"How old are you Erika?"

I pause and then stutter out my answer. "I-I'm th-three…"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kyle bursts out. "They sent us a freaking _three-year-old_? What are these scientists thinking?" He sighs loudly.

I sat there, my anger growing more and more at the boy Kyle. He'd been nothing but mean since the five had come into the room.

"Kyle!" Jen yells. "Take that back!"

"Why should I? She's only a stupid three-year-old."

"She's probably not stupid and she's young; that's all Kyle!"

"I'm not _just_ a three-year-old, Kyle!" I throw in.

"No, you're – wait… how do you know my name?"

"I _listen_ and I _think_ – some things you don't do!"

"Why you little bitch! You are just a dumb little three-year-old that belongs in the room of the corpses because you should be one!"

I sit here, stunned. He thinks I'm just a dumb three-year-old that should be dead? I feel silent tears running down my face.

"Idiot!" Shawn yells at him. "She's a child that doesn't need to be treated like that! She's an experiment just like us!"

"Why defend her? She's _three_, _dumb, _and a _girl_!"

"And what's wrong with being a girl?" Jen and Alexa say so synchronized that I can tell they've said it before.

"Um… well… uh… I didn't mean it like that!"

"Right… Kyle, you _always_ say you didn't mean it like that," Jen says back to the scared boy, obviously rolling her eyes.

I try to block their talking out and I'm surprised when a voice enters my mind, blocking out their talking.

_Try to ignore them Erika. Other than Alexa, those guys always fight every day over something. Alexa only joins in when Kyle says something about girls like he just did._

_Brandon…?_ I ask it uncertainly, not sure if my guess is right.

_Oh sorry. I forgot you didn't know I could read minds. That's how I knew you were in here by the way. I heard your thoughts. I can also talk to people in their minds, as you can see since we're doing it right now._

_Oh… Cool._

_It's been very helpful at times for us. Anyways, ignore Kyle. He's always not thinking before talking and just doesn't like younger kids._

_How… how old are you all?_

_Shawn is nine and the oldest of us all, so he's trying to be the leader of us, but he's not very good at it. Jen and Kyle are both seven, though Jen is older by a few months. Alexa is six and the youngest of us all. I'm eight, though these guys all think I'm like five or something because of how small I am, so I tend to pretend I am. Truthfully, it's only Kyle who's dumb enough to forget I'm eight, the rest all know._

I laugh at that quietly. _So… what sort of experiments are you all?_

_Avian-hybrids, as the stupid scientists call us. We have wings._

_I know what an avian-hybrid is…_

_You do? How? Wait… are you one too?_I don't bother to answer because he reads my mind and can tell the answer. _Oh man… that's why they put you in here with us. You're one of us._

My mind spins as I realize what he said. I'm not alone. There are more people like me! I'm not the only person like this anymore, and I can find out what they all know!

_Erika, you aren't alone anymore and we'll take care of you. We'll make sure that everything will be okay. You'll be fine now and we'll teach you all we know and maybe even help you find out your power when you're a little older. We all have them._

"Guys," Brandon says, preparing to tell them all about how I'm one of them.

"Yes Brandon?" Alexa is clearly curious. I have this feeling that Brandon only speaks out loud once in a while and mostly uses his mind to speak or is silent.

"Erika is one of us. She has wings."

I hear three gasps and the gaspers try to catch sight of me again, but I panic and try to hide even more. Then a voice speaks up and calms me down.

"Guys, leave her alone. She's three and is probably freaking out right now. Give her time and she'll show us later." Right now I'm feeling grateful to Alexa; she's saving me from my fear of all of this.

_Alexa can read feelings. She was the only other person to not be surprised when I said you were in here. She knew from the moment we came in and your feelings hit her. She knew you were scared, nervous, tense, and all the other emotions you felt at the time. She also can tell you're scared right now._

_Pass her a thank you from me please. I needed someone to stand up for me._

_She says that you're very welcome and she'll be glad to help you out with these guys._

I smile slightly and then move out of my corner just enough so that I can turn around and show them my back, and in turn, my wings. I heard gasps coming from them as they see my wings. I wonder if it's because they're so small, because I have them, or for another reason.

_All three. _I frown, still confused. _Erika, we knew they'd be small but it's been a while since we've seen wings on someone as small as you. The others didn't realize you were really one of us and didn't believe me. Finally, they look… so – well, I don't know how to put this nicely, but they look dead._

I stare in the direction of Brandon's cage in amazement at what he had just told me. My wings look dead to them? How are they supposed to look? I've never seen wings on anyone else, so to me they look fine.

A slight movement startles me until I realize that it's a wing being poked out through the bars of a cage. It's coming from where Alexa's voice had come from, so I'm guessing that it's her wing. I look at it closely and then I realize why they all think my wings are dead. Compared to hers, my wings are covered in a layer of dirt, exhausted looking, and are ready to fall off.

Her wing has light brown secondary feathers and her primary feathers are a light gold. They seem to shine, even in the dim light of the room. They look strong and are used to being held in place like that. Mine normally hang down my back, barely moving. They seem dull and don't shine in any way at all. Now I realize what Brandon had meant very clearly.

Sighing, I sit back against the bar, the same way I had when I'd woken up in the middle of the night, and let the cool feeling of the metal calm me down as I watch her pull her wing in. My exhaustion is coming back full force, making my eyes close and my senses dull down until I can barely hear Brandon telling the others out loud that I'm exhausted and need sleep. I fall asleep and I fall asleep deeper than I have since I was moved into the death room.

In my sleep, I dream of my paradise again, but this time I can see five flying things in the air and I realize with a start that they're my faceless avian-hybrids from my room. I just watch them fly; feeling more relaxed than I ever have before. Knowing that I'm not alone anymore has turned my fear and anxiousness into calmness and happiness.

* * *

**Well, this is the first chapter of my newest story. I have up to chapter nine written and edited already, so I won't take forever to update yet, though please bear with me as I'd prefer to update once a week so that I can stay ahead of myself in this story.**

**Now, please, review on this chapter and tell me what you think of it. It's taken me a lot of work to put this together, but between my other stories and my friend Erika (yes, I used her name for this character), I got this plot idea going.**

**Just review and tell me what you think. I reply and I don't bite.**

**Posted: 10/17/09  
Edited: 5/15/10**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I wake up in a brightly lit room and it makes me sit up fast. I look up and realize that I'm still in my cage and I'm lucky that it's a medium one now because otherwise I'd have hit my head on the top, like I had done so many times in my small one. I look around the room and see the five other avian-hybrids in the room, all still asleep, in their cages.

I look at Brandon first and see that he has brown hair that goes down to his shoulders and his bangs are almost in his mouth at the moment because they're so long. His skin is a light brown color, but it's very light. He turns over and I suddenly get a view at his wings. They're brown, but his secondary feathers are a dark brown while the primary ones are a lighter shade. They seem to meld together because the shades are close enough that it just seems to be changing from one to the other gradually and not suddenly.

In the cage next to his is Alexa with her brown and gold wings facing me because her face is away from me. Her hair is to just under her shoulders and dirty-blond. It works well with her wing color, seeming to be a mix of the two colors. Her skin is very pale, like my skin, and it seems to work with her wings and hair. We're both basically identical in the paleness of our skin.

Next to Alexa is Jen and she's sleeping on her stomach so I can see both her blond hair that reaches the middle of her back and her wings that are black-and-white like mine but in a different way. My wings have the primary feathers white and the secondary black, but hers are white with a few splashes of black; her white feathers are a darker shade of white and seem to be going on gray. Her skin is more tanned than Brandon's, but not as dark as it could be; maybe an olive shade.

Next to Jen is a boy that seems to be slightly older than her and who I'm guessing is Shawn. He has brown hair that's a slightly darker color than Brandon's but is the same length as his. His wings have white primary feathers, but his secondary ones aren't black like mine, but the same shade of brown as Brandon's hair. He's paler than any of them except Alexa which means he's darker than me. I'm very pale compared to anyone, but he's the first person I've ever seen to even be close to my color except for Alexa, who is basically my color.

The final cage holds Kyle, the boy that I wish I could go punch straight in the nose for how he was acting yesterday. He has black hair and his wings are also black. I think he has some silver in his wings though, because I see streaks of light being reflected off of them when he moves. Looking at him I see that his skin is paler than Shawn's, though I'm still paler than him. He looks very odd with his dark hair and wings compared to his basically white skin.

I sigh a little too loudly and it wakes Brandon up, since he's the one closest to me. He looks over at me, sees me awake, and smiles slightly. He pushes his hair out of his eyes and I see the hazel in them slightly before he talks into my mind.

_Hey, Erika. How did you sleep?_

_Very well, thanks. I don't think I've gotten such a good night's sleep in a long time._

_Oh? To me it looked as if you slept like that every night. Though I'm amazed you slept that early. It was only like two in the afternoon when you fell asleep._

_I haven't slept well for the past year or so. I also needed the sleep. The stupid experiment they put me through yesterday used up so much of my energy._

_You've been put through experiments that waste energy already? Wow, they waited until I was older before they did it to me, though I do look younger than I really am… who knows. Anyway, I'm glad you got some sleep. Wait – a YEAR? Why haven't you slept much in a YEAR?_

_I… I was put into the death room…_

_Oh, my god… So what Kyle said to you yesterday… I'm going to kill him later. He shouldn't have said that at all and after being stuck in the room where they leave experiments to die for a YEAR, that couldn't of seemed funny at all to you._

_It's okay… he didn't know. None of you did. They don't usually keep experiments in there that are going to live past a month._

_It doesn't matter. No one should have that said to them. He was being rude and needs to be hurt for it._

I sigh, realizing that no matter what I think should be done Kyle will still be hurt. I don't think that it's fair if anyone but me hurts him. That's when I get an idea.

_Hey, Brandon, think I can be the one to hurt him?_

_Hmm… _I look over at him and see that he's smiling. _I like the idea of a three-year-old girl hurting him… That's a mix of the two groups he seems to think are the weakest. Great idea my friend. I'll help you get to him and then you can punch him… I think right in the nose will do it – unless you want to kick him where it hurts the most._

_I like the kicking idea much more. I think I'll go with that one._ I look over at him and we both smile identical evil grins. Alexa stirs and I look at Brandon in surprise. _What time is it?_

_Around seven in the morning is my guess._

I stare at him in disbelief for a moment. I didn't think it was that late! I usually sleep until five and then I'm awake. Besides, I had slept the night before, during the morning, and I fell asleep in the afternoon. I never get that much sleep.

_Alexa says to tell you that between your exhaustion that I noticed and told her about and the fact that you felt relaxed around us because you realized that you weren't the one avian-hybrid around, you were able to sleep very soundly and for a long time._

I sigh, realizing that between his mindreading and her being able to know my feelings, they'd have to know this sort of stuff. I smile slightly and nod towards Alexa, noticing her brown eyes as I do it and watch as they get a twinkle in them for a moment before they go back to normal.

Over the next ten minutes or so the rest of the group all wake up, Kyle being the last to awaken, of course. Kyle wakes up grumbling while Shawn and Jen wake up quietly. Jen smiles at me for a moment before turning her attention back to Shawn. I snicker silently as I realize what's going on and a look at Brandon tells me that my guess is correct. He rolls his eyes when he sees me looking, ending the eye roll with his eyes pointed in their direction.

Kyle sees me and while his dark brown eyes that seem to be black to me lock onto mine, he starts to mutter under his breath. He looks away from me and instead goes to glare at Shawn. To his credit, Shawn takes the glare well and just smiles at him. I guess there had been a fight after I'd fallen asleep and Shawn had won it – Kyle looks furious at him.

I'm about to ask about what happened when the door opens and all of us turn our heads to see who it is. The smell of food catches my attention and I look at the six scientists eagerly. I haven't eaten in days.

I watch as they bring each of us a tray of food: soup, bread, and crackers. Not as good of a meal as I see the scientists eating, but the best meal I've ever been given. They open the door of my cage, put it in, and lock the cage again. Looking up, I see that there are a bunch of wolf-men at the doors for the other cages as the scientists feed the others. I don't get why, but I just watch as they all leave.

The others sigh sadly and then start to eat very fast. I turn to my food and start to eat it just as fast as the others. When I'm done I look up and see Brandon looking at me with a very curious look on his face. The others are just finishing up.

"Erika?" I cock my head to the side to tell Brandon I'm listening. "When was the last time you ate before today?"

I think and remember that it's been maybe five days or so since I've eaten and he gasps when he hears the thought. That one gasp has the others spin around very fast to see that his jaw is open in surprise and his eyes are wide, staring at me. As for me, I'm very confused. My head is cocked to the right as I look at Brandon, not understanding why he's looking at me like that.

"Is that the longest they've made you go before?" I shake my head, still confused. For me, getting food with only five days in between is a treat. "A _treat_? How long have they made you go before?" I start to shake in my confusion, scared by his screaming at my thoughts.

I look over at Alexa for comfort and think about how nice it would be to be able to be right next to her, and then suddenly, I am. I look around me in confusion, and Alexa is staring at me, her eyes wide open. Then, taking in my emotions, she hugs me close to her, realizing that I'm very scared and confused right now. She holds me until my shaking stops and even when I turn away from her, she keeps an arm around me, letting me know that she's there for me.

The others still looked slightly amazed at how I had teleported myself to Alexa's cage, but I think she had given them a look or something while I had been shaking with my face in her chest because they aren't openly staring at me. Looking over at Brandon specifically, I can tell that he's feeling a little guilty over scaring me like he did. I smile slightly at him to let him know I don't blame him.

"Erika, are you okay now?" I turn back to Alexa and nod slightly. "Good. Now why did what Brandon was asking you scare you so much?" I look down at the bottom of the cage and just shrug. "Erika, it wasn't just nothing. I could tell. You were freaked out by what he was saying."

"Alexa, she was freaked out because she didn't understand why I was freaked out. I was getting my answers directly from her mind, so it made it scary for her to be hearing me freak out over it."

"And what were these answers you were getting?"

"Uh… how about the fact that until just now, she hadn't eaten in five days and to her that's a treat?"

Alexa looks down at me, forcing my head up as she does so that she can look me in the eyes. "Is this true Erika?" she asks me softly and gently. I nod in response, not wanting to speak right now.

I watch as pain and sadness enter her eyes but she doesn't make a sound. It's Shawn and Jen that gasp. Kyle, being the rude boy he is, just smirks at this fact. Brandon keeps silent like Alexa, but Alexa hugs me since she can.

I don't understand why this is such a bad thing, but it obviously is. "Erika, you won't understand why it's so hard for us to hear until you see how often they feed us. Then you'll realize why we're all reacting this way." I nod at what Alexa is whispering into my ear.

After a while, they seem to get over how much I've been fed and seem to be thinking about how I teleported between cages. The whole time they talk about it, I just stay with Alexa, leaning against her. I've never had anyone to do this with, so to me this is the most comfortable place I've ever been. I smile slightly as I close my eyes and actually fall asleep for a bit.

I wake up when Alexa moves more than just a slight movement. Looking up at her I see that she's worried. I concentrate for a moment and understand why; the scientists are coming back. I sit up quickly and, moving away from Alexa before I try, I think about my cage and being there. I'm in my cage again and I see Alexa and the others visibly relax. They don't want my power known yet.

The door opens and the food trays are taken out the same way they were put inside the cages. Wolf-men stand outside the cages of everyone but mine where the scientist just does the work herself. I still don't understand why they do this, but I guess that if I ask, the others will explain. I wait until they leave and their footsteps are gone before looking at Alexa. She nods her okay and I teleport back to her cage, preferring to be with her in her cage than to be alone in mine.

"Why do the wolf-men only wait outside your cages and not mine?" I ask Alexa quietly.

"The wolf-men? Oh, the Erasers you mean. Well, they don't think that you'll try to escape when they feed you while we've all tried it at least once while in this room being fed."

"Oh." I stay quiet for a moment before asking another question on my mind. "Why don't you want them knowing about my power?"

"If they know about it, they usually try to test it. For mine, they found out about it and started to put me in rooms with more people every time, seeing how long I could go feeling all the emotions without going crazy. Truthfully, it never affected me. I block out the emotions of people I don't want to know about usually. The only times I don't are when I'm in a room I think is empty or has the people I want to know. That's why I felt you when I came in; I was only expecting those four."

I nod understandingly, but also tiredly. I think she realizes how tired I am because she leans against a bar of the cage and then moves me so that I'm leaning against her chest again. I close my eyes and the last thing I hear is her whispering in my ear for me to go to sleep and she'll wake me if scientists come.

* * *

**Well, this is chapter two. I hope those of you who are reading it enjoyed it. I tried my best to describe the others, but you'll have to think of people that age to get heights, and even a bit taller becuase of the avian DNA, because they're all in cages and I can't help with that really. Also, one of my friends who read this was wondering why Erika seems to need sleep more than a normal person would (even a birdkid), and my reason is that first, she's catching up on sleep from the death room/testing, and second, the teleporting exhausts her because it's such a new power, explaining her being tired right now at the end of this chapter. You'll see Erika explain it herself later, but I'd rather not confuse people before it's in the actual story.**

**So... Can you all please review? I'd love to know what you thought of this (and the first chapter).**

**Posted: 10/25/09  
Edited: 5/15/10**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Someone shaking my shoulder wakes me up and I quickly let my senses find out what's going on. I hear the footsteps of the scientists coming and I sit up, looking at Alexa for confirmation. She nods and I teleport back to my cage, but I make sure I'm not touching her. I have this weird feeling that if I touch someone and teleport, they go with me.

The door opens and scientists come in yet again, but this time there are more than six of them and I have a feeling it's time for testing. They look right past me and go to Shawn, Kyle, Jen, and Brandon. They open up their cages and the wolf-men, Erasers is what Alexa called them, grab the four of them and the scientists leave in groups, one bird-kid per group.

Looking over at Alexa, I can tell that this is a normal way to test the group and I sigh sadly. I'd always hated my testing, and I only got tested whenever I was fed. Being fed had been my reward for being tested, and I had taken it when I could. Looking at Alexa, I can tell it's different here, but she still feels sad when the others are taken and she's the lucky one to not need to be tested as often.

After making sure there are no more footsteps, I teleport back to Alexa's cage and snuggle up next to her, trying to comfort both of us at once. I feel her relax when I do it and I realize that all she needs is someone to be with her while they others are being tested. I smile and promise myself that whenever they're testing, I'll join Alexa in her cage for the testing period.

I sit here with her for a long time, neither of us talking. When we hear footsteps coming, I move away and go back to my cage, lying down after I do, feeling tired. Looking up, I spot Jen and Kyle being led in by Erasers and scientists, but there's no sign of Brandon or Shawn. I sigh and watch as they're thrown into their cages and then everyone leaves the room. They both groan almost silently in the pain from the fall.

"Are you okay you two?" Alexa asks them.

"I'm fine. They're idiots that don't know how to throw very hard. It didn't hurt." I catch Alexa's eye and we both roll our eyes at Kyle's tough guy act, knowing he's hurting from that throw.

"Jen, are you okay?"

"I hurt a little, but I'll be fine in a bit. I'm only hurting from the fall onto the bottom of my cage."

After knowing that both of them are fine, I close my eyes and feel myself falling asleep. I dream of my paradise again and this time, my friends are all in the water of one of the rivers, swimming. Alexa gestures to me and I get to go and join them in the water. I look at where they are and then imagine myself there; I'm in the water next to Alexa. She smiles and then starts to splash me with the water, so I splash her back and we start a water fight between the six of us.

By some unknown consent, Alexa and I stop splashing each other and instead aim at the boys, Jen joining us. The boys splash back, but we already have the upper-hand because we had started first so they now have water in their eyes and can't see us as well as we can see them. We all laugh and have a great time playing in the river. To us, it doesn't feel like we've ever been locked up in cages and we just grew up together and with the wings.

The sound of the door opening wakes me up and both Brandon and Shawn are led into the room and thrown into their cages. They both groan quietly as well from the sudden hit on the metal bottom of their cages, though they both are sitting up again before the Erasers and scientists are out of the room. They look around and, seeing all of us in our cages, both relax slightly.

Looking around, I see Alexa trying to tell me something with her eyes but I don't get it, so I see her eyes flick to Brandon. I keep looking at Alexa as I wait for Brandon's message to tell me what she wants.

_Alexa says to tell you to stay in your own cage for the rest of the day. You're exhausting yourself with all the teleporting._

I nod at her and she smiles slightly, knowing that I'm only agreeing to this because she's right and not because I want to. I lean back again and close my eyes, but this time I stay awake and listen to the conversation around me.

"They forced me into that stupid maze again," Shawn says.

"Yeah, well they forced me to run around a track for as long as I could and the floor was heated there too," Jen says.

"They had me fighting Erasers again. It was a ton of fun," Kyle says, being the most obvious one to love it.

"I was forced to get blood tests over and over. They also took other samples of me," I feel Brandon's pain as they've done that to me many times over.

"What did you and Erika do, Alexa?" Jen asks Alexa. I guess she noticed I'm exhausted again and just left me to sleep, or at least to relax.

"Nothing. They left us in here. It was very quiet."

"Oh."

After that I fall asleep; I can't stay awake any longer. This time my dream is the six of us playing hide and seek in the forest, but flying isn't allowed. Only climbing trees by hands and feet or staying on the ground. We run around, not letting Brandon be it because of his mindreading abilities and how they would give the rest of us away. I use my teleporting wisely and find the largest tree by foot and then teleport to the top and sit there on a branch, waiting for someone to spot me and never get to me.

Eventually Kyle comes around and spots me. He starts to climb up, yelling up to me that he was it, and he's smiling. In my paradise, he isn't mean at all, but a kind boy that loves to have fun with the rest of us. I don't know why I dream him like that but I think it has something to do with the fact that I think that on the inside this is what he's like, not that evil, rude boy he shows us.

I wake up the moment Kyle tags me, making me it. Looking around I realize that the reason I wake up is a scientist has just grabbed my shoulder and is trying to drag me out of the cage. I panic. Usually the sound of the door wakes me up, so I have never been grabbed awake by the scientists and it scares me. I start to struggle against the scientist, and she just grabs harder, hurting my shoulder. I keep struggling, forgetting that she's probably only here to take me to testing.

_Erika! Stop! Don't fight her; it'll only make the testing worse! She's here to collect you for testing. Alexa is being taken too._

I stop fighting as Brandon's words sink in and I realize my mistake. Feeling me relax, the scientist lets go of me and gets out of the cage, ordering me to follow her. I look over at Alexa in fear and I see the reassurance in her eyes and it helps me calm down. I follow the scientist and she leads me to a room with a giant maze in it.

I realize with a start that this is where Shawn had been taken earlier. I also realize that Alexa is here too. We're being tested in this together. I look at her and she takes my hand, prepared to force the scientists to test us together. Looking at the scientists, I notice that they're smiling at this friendship we've already made and I have a feeling they did it on purpose to test something new.

They push us into the maze and we're told to find the exit. We both start running, our minds seeming to be in sync as we do it, so we don't even have to talk and we both just go in the direction we want to go in. We take a while the first time, hitting dead ends a lot, but we get out and we didn't get hurt yet. Sadly, the second round they turn the heat under our feet up and so this time we can both feel the burning sensation if we stop to turn around after a dead end.

The fourth round they put an Eraser at the end, though they take off the heat in that area. We're forced to fight it, and it's hard for me because I've never fought one before. Luckily, Alexa has a few times, so I watch her and get the general idea of kicking and punching it until we can both edge around it. We run to the exit and the scientists stop the Eraser from following as we fall to our knees at the end of the maze, panting for breath.

Finally, after the tenth maze, which has six Erasers on the path and the heat isn't taken off at all, we're given a bunch of water and then they bring us back to our cages. We aren't thrown in like the others, but when we get into them we both fall to our knees, exhausted by the testing. Looking at my feet for the first time, I see that the bottoms are covered in boils and burns. Looking over at Alexa I see her feet are in the same condition and we both wince when our gazes lock.

When we're finally able to control the pain enough to lean against the bars of the cages and put our burning feet on the cool metal bottoms of the cages, the others feel ready to ask what happened. I mostly tune it out, letting Alexa answer while I enjoy the feeling of the coolness on my burning feet. While my feet hurt more from being put flat on the ground, they also feel cooler and pretty soon they don't feel as hot so I take them off the ground and lay my legs out straight in front of me, removing the extra pain.

The others gasp and I guess Alexa has just told them about the heat and Erasers. I look up and start to pay attention.

"-at the end of the fourth maze. We had to fight enough to get around it so we could get out. Erika hasn't fought an Eraser before either! This was her first time, so she wasn't able to help as much. By the tenth round, when we had to deal with six before we were free, she was able to help more and we got past those ones faster. It was terrible. They kept the heat on the whole time the last few rounds and we had to fight Erasers with it."

"I might have to do the maze once in a while, but they've never gotten that harsh on me before with it!" I look up at Shawn, realizing that this isn't the normal way to do the maze.

"I can't believe they did that to you both. You're only three and six," Jen is looking at my feet sadly and I can tell she wishes she could help me.

"I'm hurting so much right now from both the fights and the burns," Alexa says. "I don't even want to know the difference in the pain between us. It's going to be too great. When we were fighting, I knew how to block, she didn't. She got hit more and had to stand more during the fights, so her feet are worse than mine. I can even see it from just looking at them."

I look at my feet and then over at hers and see what she means. Mine are redder and have a lot more boils. Looking at her torso, I can see that while she has a little bit of blood on her hospital gown, mine is covered in it. I got the worst of it and she knows it.

The weird thing is that I don't feel the pain. My whole body is numb right now. I'm also seeing black dots in my vision. Looking around I can see concerned faces looking at me and Shawn is saying something, but I can't hear him anymore. I can't hear anything anymore.

Slowly, my eyesight is being taken over by the little black dots and I can't see much at all. Very quickly, I'm losing consciousness and I know it. Within a minute of seeing the dots appear, my vision goes black, I fall over, and I'm out cold. I had lost too much blood and it was showing.

* * *

**Not much to say about this chapter really. All I have to say is that after the next chapter, I'm going to do a little bit of some time-jumping. I'll be skipping gaps of time a lot in this story just because I don't want to have to write the same stuff over and over but in different ways. That's what I'd end up doing if I don't skip time. Besides, you'll be caught up in the beginning of the chapters after a skip on enough information that you know what had been happening the whole time gap.**

**Okay, I have to reply to this reviewer here so... Here I go. _Anonymous_: You have no idea how much that review meant to me. What you said made me so happy the other day that I was smiling for a long time. Thank you so much for the awesome review. To answer your question, if you mean the title of the story, I guess I unconsciously took the title from the story by Shayne Rider Story of a Bird Kid (Read it, it's an awesome read) and the fact that Erika is very much trapped in Itex and will be until towards the end of the story. You'll also later on in the story how much Erika has to lock up her emotions and trap them inside of her. If you meant the name Erika (Though I'm guessing you meant the first one), then that's easy. My beat friend's name is Erika.**

**Sorry about the long message but I had to put it all there. It also might give information to others.**

**To all of my American friends out here in the good old U.S. of A, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I hope you all enjoy the free candy that comes with it and have a ton of fun!**

**Well, all I can now ask is that you all review on this chapter and tell me what you thought of it (and the first two if you're just reading and there's no more chapters after this one). Did you hate it? Love it? Have ways that I can improve? If so, leave me a review and let me know!**

**Posted: 10/31/09**  
**Edited: 5/15/10**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

I wake up and look around. When I do a quick look, I start to panic, but when I look again, I calm down. At first it had seemed like no one was here with me, but when I looked closer I had seen Alexa in her cage and looking at me with worry. I sigh in relief and smile over at her. A small smile comes over her face and the relief on it is visible.

Seeing me look around again at the empty cages, she starts to fill me in. "Don't worry about them, they're all being tested. They've left us alone test-wise since the maze." I nod, unable to speak and not trusting myself to anyways. "You worried us all. It's been two days since we were tested on, Erika. You've been unconscious the whole time."

I stare at her in disbelief. I try to move and suddenly feel something odd around my torso so I look down and see a new gown on me. Looking closer I see that I'm wrapped in bandages. I don't even need to look up or speak for Alexa to know what I'm trying to figure out.

"They came in here yesterday and realized that you weren't sleeping but that you were out cold from the wounds you got from the maze. They took you for a little and you came back changed and with bandages on. It made the rest of us breathe easier to see you covered up so that the blood couldn't get out as easily. They had clotted over, but any slight movement from you and they opened up again. If you look closely there might be a stain from all the blood, but I don't know since they had come in here and cleaned up the mess while you were being taken care of…"

I look down and see nothing, which tells me that they did in fact clean up and that it had to of all happened. I wouldn't doubt Alexa anyway, but this proof made it so no one could doubt her. I look up at her again and I think she uses my emotions to know that I'm thankful for her telling me all of this and for just being there when I needed her.

"Anytime, Erika, anytime." She's smiling as she says that too. I know that she's happy about how I feel right now from just that one smile.

Suddenly I can feel exhaustion taking over me again and I have to lie back down again and my eyes close without my consent. I fall asleep, but this time I can dream as it's real sleep and not unconsciousness. My dream is about us all on my hill, lying down and staring up at the clouds. We're just looking. Alexa is holding me near her, as if I'm her sister, and we're looking up at the sky.

Kyle and Brandon are tearing pieces of grass apart in their hands and talking about what they see in the clouds. All of us are distracting ourselves from the sounds from the opposite side of the hill coming from Shawn and Jen. As we all know, they like each other and they finally admitted it to each other. Now they're kissing over on the other side and the rest of us are relaxing after that very long game of hide and seek, which I obviously won since Brandon doesn't count and I only got tagged that one time from Kyle.

I'm enjoying the feeling of belonging to a family. The feelings that they all care for me, love me, and want us to all have fun. It's a feeling none of us get to feel in that stupid Itex building. Even if it's obvious in there that we all feel this, we don't get to show it there, so we don't even bother because we know that the scientists will take it away from us then.

I wake up suddenly, not knowing why. I groan from the pain in my chest and I'm suddenly reminded of the Erasers and the maze. I open my eyes and see five pairs of eyes looking at me with worry in them. I look straight at Alexa, my dream still on my mind. Looking at her closely, I see more things in common than just our skin color. She has the same colored eyes and hair. We look quite alike and that's when it hits me - the reason my dreams had us like that earlier and why being close to her helped me so much.

I just stare at her while Brandon gasps and looks between us, suddenly coming to the same conclusion as me once I had gotten it. You can see the other three are very confused by how we're acting right now, but I don't really care. Instead, I use the last of my energy to teleport myself to her cage and snuggle up close to her. She doesn't get why and starts to tell me off, but instead of listening to her, I move my mouth close to her ear and whisper into it.

"You're my sister, Alexa."

Her words are cut off by that and she stares at me for a moment. She looks at our arms and sees where I got the skin idea. She sees my hair and moves her hair out where she can see it and her eyes open wide in amazement. Looking me in the eyes, she realizes that she also has brown eyes. Closing them, she hugs me close to her, and tears start to come out of her closed eyes. I hug her close too and just enjoy this moment.

"What is going on with those two, Brandon?" I make myself not growl at Kyle for his tone.

"They just figured something out… something amazing and important," is the reply from Brandon.

"What is it? Spit it out mind reader!"

"They're family."

"What do you mean they're family, Brandon?" Jen asks it much nicer and calmly. She's just curious and doesn't want to force an answer out.

"Look at the two of them together."

"Oh my… they look almost identical except for size and wings!" I hear the other three gasp as they realize this; even Kyle is amazed and surprised.

"Yeah. The wings are probably because of the bird DNA being different in them. It wouldn't surprise me if they kept that different so that if they looked alike, they'd still have a difference."

I look up at Alexa, and I see that her eyes are shining in pleasure and happiness. She loves this as much as I do. She had never expected this, just as I hadn't. We have both just found out we have a sister in this horrid place, and we don't even care how we had gotten here even though we're three years apart age-wise.

What none of us are expecting is that there are cameras in this place so they already know about my teleporting and have just wanted Alexa and me to realize we had each other in here. The door opens when all of us are so busy over the new realization that we have let our senses down.

Scientists and Erasers come in, open the door to the cage, and pull both of us out. They make us both walk down the hall to a new room for both of us. It has a large table with chairs and food in front of two of them. They sit us in these chairs, next to each other, and leave the room, locking the door.

We look down at the food: chicken, milk, peas, and bread with butter on it. Looking at each other, we nod and then start to eat the best meal we've ever been offered. The moment we finish, the door opens and three people come in. One has brown hair and brown eyes – a man, the second has blond hair and blue eyes – a woman, and the last has red hair and brown eyes – a man. They're all looking at us.

I look at Alexa, slightly freaked out by this, but she grabs my hand in hers and I calm down a bit. Looking back at the adults I notice something – the one with brown hair and eyes looks like both of us. I stare at him and the woman now, trying to figure out what's going on. I don't see the woman in any of us except for the pale skin, which she shares with the man, but then again I had learned that the dominant features on a person were usually the darker ones. I had been listening when the scientists took me in for testing and had decided to talk genetics.

"Hello Erika, Alexa," the man that looks like us starts, "I'm Alexander and this here is Alexandra," he gestures to the woman, "and Peter." He gestures to the other man. "I can tell from the look in your eyes, Erika, that you've guessed at least some of what we're here to tell you." I nod and just stare back at him.

"Well then," Alexandra starts, "I guess you'd also like to tell us what you're thinking." I shake my head.

"That's too bad because I think Alexa here needs informing since she's very confused," Peter says.

I look at her and see that she is indeed confused, so I start to look between her and Alexander. After doing this a few times, her eyes widen and I know she's got it. The corner of my mouth lifts slightly for just a moment, but she catches the movement in the corner of her eye anyways.

"Now that we are all enlightened on part of this," Alexander says, "let's say it formally. Girls, I am your father and Alexandra here is your mother. Peter is my step-brother and so he's your uncle."

"We're all scientists here, which is why we let them do work on me," Alexandra says.

"I was the one assigned to keep you apart until you could talk and think for yourself, Erika. Though, I realize now that the scientists I had put in charge of you didn't do a very good job and you got put into the wrong room and were barely fed. They knew you were there and just put you where they wanted to. They got punished when I found out, so at least know that it won't happen again as I'll be taking charge of you and keeping an eye on you.

"Your testing won't be as – harsh – as it was the other day. I was in pain to find you in that condition in your cage and so I took you out and got you all patched up. Alexa, I can get you patched up right now if you'd like it. I couldn't heal both of you at the time because the supervisors had forgotten my connection wasn't just to Erika, but to you as well."

We both just sit there, unmoving, in our amazement. We both couldn't believe it; I had been right about us being siblings and now we knew our parents and why we'd both been made into experiments. Even if this isn't the life we wanted, we now had each other. I tightened my hold on Alexa's hand and she did the same to mine.

"Oh, by the way, we can put you both into a larger cage together, since I know having both of your in a medium cage can't be easy."

Our heads snap up to look at Alexandra when what she had said hits us. They'd known! They'd known about my teleportation the whole time, and they'd let me use it. They'd let me be with my sister and hadn't done anything to change it.

They all smile at the looks on our faces and they take that as a yes because Peter goes to the door and orders an Eraser to get another scientist on the cage "problem" while we're in here talking. He also tells them to get him a first-aid kit in here fast. We just sit there after that until the first-aid kit is brought in and Peter moves towards us.

He lifts Alexa up onto the table, turning her around as he did it, and breaking the hold our hands had had. We grab each other's hand the moment she's turned around and they all just smile at that. We both watch as he puts a salve on her feet and then wraps them up. He then takes off her gown and does the same to her torso.

After Alexa is done, he lifts me onto the table, and we grab hands fast again after the hold is broken, before he starts to reapply the salve to my wounds, which are more numerous and worse than Alexa's. I notice that when I see my feet, the boils are a lot better and my skin isn't as red anymore. I'm healing fast. Alexa notices too and smiles slightly at the fact.

Once he's done, he helps us both down and leads us to our parents. They hug us both before leading us back down the hall and into the room again. Instead of trying to separate us, they put us into the new cage in there that's a bit bigger than our old ones. We look over at the others and they're looking at us, surprised. We smile slightly and then we're locked into the cage before our parents and uncle leave the room.

I'm sleepy again, so I let Alexa tell the story while I fall into a dream-filled slumber against her chest again. This time my dreams are filled only with my sister, mom, dad, and uncle with me in my paradise and we're all lying down on the hill again. My friends are flying around in the sky again and we're all enjoying ourselves. We've put Itex behind us and are a normal family that doesn't think or worry about the tests that Itex puts on us.

I sleep in peace while this dream takes over me, even if in my subconscious I know it's not real and this isn't what my family is like. I live this life instead of my real one, preferring this one and not having a care in the world anymore.

* * *

**Well... Don't look at me! This part of the story came out of no where and wasn't in my control. I was writing the dream part with Alexa seeming to be her sister and I realized how perfect it would be, so I went back to chapter two and edited her appearance and it came out like this. Truthfully, it makes the plot flow a lot better. Anyway, you'll see this expand a bit more in the next chapter... and then want to kill me at the end of it.**

**Remember, the next chapter is a jump in time because the plot would be boring otherwise. Then, I'm doing another time jump the chapter after. Lots of time jumping, I know, but I feel it's needed to keep this story going.**

**Can you all check out Angel's Story by The Layman. It's really good and he wants some feedback on it. You can either look up the story itself or look under my reviews to find his page.**

**Well, until next weekend! (I'm going to continue to update once a week for many reasons, so please stick with me)**

**Posted: 11/6/09  
Edited: 5/15/10**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**One Year Later**

I look around me and see the Erasers, all stalking towards me. They're hoping I haven't seen them, but they're out of luck. I had spotted them the moment they started to move towards me. I look closely and find the closest one and see that I still have time before I have to start moving again.

Looking around the arena, I see the small forest to my west, the lake to my east, the tall grass to my south, and the plains right in front of me to my north. The Erasers are coming from the grass, except for a couple who are in the trees. Looking up, I see that this is the arena with wing room, even above the trees, so that I can fly a little bit, just enough to get above them, if I'm forced to.

I smile slightly as I think about how much I'd grown since my parents had told Alexa and me that we're sisters. My wings are now large enough to hold me up in the air when I fly. I also have been eating enough that my body doesn't look like it's dead anymore and my wings don't look dead either. My wings are shining now and have been carefully cared for. Not only that, but my powers have gotten better.

The Erasers get closer to me, and I get into a stance that looks like my fighting stance, but really I'm preparing to teleport. I had looked closely at the trees the moment I got in here and memorized how one looks the moment they brought me in here. The Erasers are almost on me and I put the memory of the tallest tree that also happens to be on the far end of the forest.

The Erasers all open their hands to show their claws, their mouths are open in anticipation, and they're basically on top of me. The moment the closest few jump to claw me, I take that image and imagine I'm there, and suddenly, I'm on the far side of the forest, near the top of my tree, and hanging on for dear life. They don't know where I teleported myself, so I use this time to check my energy.

I don't feel the least bit exhausted or tired, which just shows how much my endurance has grown. When I first found out about my power, teleporting would kill my energy and make it so I had to either eat a lot of food and sleep a bit or sleep a lot and get a bit of food into me. Ever since, I've been working on teleporting and my endurance to use it. Lately, it's taken me at least ten teleports before I need a break, and that's very good compared to my one or two teleports, when I had a good reason to teleport and fought the exhaustion, and basically fainting.

The breaks are really just getting some food into me or resting for at least half an hour and then I'll be back up and teleporting again for a bit longer. This is the third time in five days they've sent me out into an arena with Erasers to practice my fighting skills and endurance. They're always pleased with the results, especially my parents, but it can be very tiring. I waste so much energy every time I come in here. The Erasers don't go easy on me, even though I'm only four years old.

I physically shake my head to make myself put these thoughts out of my mind for the moment. I need to concentrate on the fight.

Looking down, I see the Erasers looking around the arena. The reason they can't find me is that not only am I high up in a tree, I'm also on the far side of it, hiding from view. I can barely see them myself, let alone them having a chance of seeing me. I slowly move my wings out of my shirt through the slits cut into the back of it; they're still folded and against my back, but now they can move much easier and faster as they're not under a shirt.

I watch as the Erasers split up, some going into the grass, some into the trees, and some even to look around the plains, probably guessing that I'm ducking down low. The ones in the forest with me are moving fast but are spread out; they are closing in on me very fast. I move just enough so that the branches and leaves will block me from their view for a little bit longer once they're under me.

I see an Eraser under me moments after I shift and I twist my body just slightly, making it easier for me to drop and land on its head. The Eraser looks up just as I push myself away from the trunk of the tree, allowing myself to fall straight down onto the Eraser and kick it in the face. I drop to the ground after that, landing on my feet, and all the Erasers turn towards me just as the one I had just kicked falls to the ground, withering in pain.

They all charge at me, forgetting that I can fight, in anger at the sight of their fallen comrade. One gets close to me and I jump up, throwing a roundhouse kick with my right leg, hitting it right under the chin and effectively knocking it unconscious. I land and duck immediately, knowing that there will be punches aimed at me.

I jump up after the punches are thrown and aim a kick at one of the Erasers, hitting right between the legs, and forcing him to fall to his knees. Using the fact that he's at my height, I kick him in the chest and then under the chin, giving him the mercy of unconsciousness. He can't feel the pain in his crotch anymore. I snicker at the thought, though quietly, and turn towards the next Eraser.

This one dodges my kick to the crotch, and throws a punch at my head. I duck down and then jump up, throwing a roundhouse kick at his side before throwing a front kick at his chest, efficiently making him fall over. The fight continues like this, me kicking Erasers in the crotch, chest, side, under the chin, and all over. The goal being to knock them out cold, force them to the ground in pain, or just force them to the ground and make sure they know they're done.

When I'm finally done with all of them, a whistle is blown and I imagine the entrance to the arena, which they always give me time to study, and then I teleport there. Waiting at the entrance are my parents and uncle. They're smiling and take me to the room where my meal awaits. I eat quickly, listening to their comments about my fighting and compliments on it as well.

"Good idea, teleporting out of the center and making them split up," my dad says. "It really threw them off and made them have to think for a bit."

"I'm glad you remembered not to punch those Erasers," my uncle says, smiling proudly. "Your hands just aren't ready for it yet. They'd be very bruised right now if you gave them direct contact with bone. They still need preparing. Only in emergencies should you punch someone; like if they've got your legs but not your hands."

I smile at the praise and continue eating, not oblivious to the fact that my mom hasn't said anything, as usual. She never talks to me after my fights in the arena, as if she hates that I have to do them at all. I don't mind the arenas, but I hate it when they make me go in there every other day. I'd rather go three times a week and that's all, but they're being adamant that I go every other day now. It's getting annoying.

When I finish, my mom stands up, and I know that's my cue to follow her as my dad and uncle can spend hours talking about my fight. They do it every time. The first day I went into the arena, I was forced to stay in that room with them for about five extra hours, just listening to them talk about it, until my mom finally realized that this could go on all night and took me to my cage again.

My mom leads me through the door into my room and opens the door to my cage, closing it again behind me. Alexa moves over to me and puts her arm around me, looking up at our mom. Looking at Alexa, I see something in her eyes that she's never had in them when looking at our mom before now. I look at it closely, but before I can figure out what it is, it's gone and our mom is leaving the room.

_What was that?_

_Erika, Alexa and the rest of us heard something while you were testing and… you won't like it._

_What – what is it?_

_They're about ready to move you from the room. They're… they're going to take you away from us. They don't want you in here much longer._

I can't speak, think, or move. All I feel is Alexa holding me tightly. I think she feels my body stiffen, and knowing what happened and why I stiffened, she holds me tightly to her, not letting me go at all. Finally I feel myself relax enough to hold onto her and I don't ever want to let go.

_Erika, we'll do our best to not let them take you. They can try, but we'll fight it if we can. You belong with us, not with anyone else or on your own._

_Thanks, Brandon. That makes me feel better. I just don't want to be away from all of you, at all._

I slowly relax into my sister, and she holds me tight, knowing that it'll help me. The others are looking upset but also furious. They don't want me taken away from them. I can tell that to them, I'm like a little sister, even though Alexa is the only one related to me. In the past year, they've all gotten close to me, and even Kyle is kind and not rude anymore, but he does still brag and get annoying like most boys. I found out that he just doesn't like younger people in the beginning until they prove themselves to him; my testing and ability to survive it proved myself to him in the first week just as much as something else I did.

I close my eyes, trying to stop the tears from leaking out of them. I don't want the others to see me crying, even if they'd be understanding about it and wouldn't say anything. No matter how close we are, I'm still me and I don't want to seem weak. The problem is that I can't hold the tears in and they start to fall down my face, leaving a warm trail behind them.

I turn into my sister and hold the sobs in; if I have to cry, I want it to be silent tears. My sister tightens her hold on me, knowing from my emotions that I'm crying, even if she hadn't seen them. I just let the tears run out and don't hold them back. I know that if they run out, I won't cry again over this.

When my eyes are all dried out, I let the exhaustion I feel take over me, and fall asleep, emotionally unable to do anything else right now. For once, I don't dream or have any nightmares. My body and mind are so tired; they can't do anything but sleep and try to use sleep to let out the emotions.

When I wake up, Alexa is still holding onto me, not letting me go. Looking around groggily, I don't see the others and I realize that they're testing now. Usually, Alexa goes with them unless she's testing with me in the maze, but I think that she wouldn't leave me, so they let her stay and skip today.

She feels me move and moves herself, and I can tell that she's stiff from being in the same position for so long. I mean, who wouldn't be stiff? She's probably been in the same position for hours. I move out of her arms, just so that she'll be able to move around, but instead of moving, she reaches out and pulls me to her side. Once I'm at her side, she moves her legs around and lets them relax.

"Erika. Are you okay?"

I just nod in response and lean my head against her shoulder. She puts her head on mine, trying to reassure me. Truthfully, I don't know who needs the reassurance more: her or me. If I'm forced to leave, she'll lose me, but still have the rest. Me? I'll be all alone and have lost all five of them. The only difference, she's only been alone for a year or so while I was basically alone for three years. I'm more used to not having someone there for me than she is, even if I've had her for this long. I think we both need the same amount of reassurance.

I feel her relax next to me, and the next thing I know, her breathing is deeper and she's asleep. I stay there, awake, and I think about my dreams of the past year. They've always been in my paradise, except for the occasional nightmare about my year in the death room. The paradise dreams change in who's in them, where they are, and what's being done in them. They go from playing hide-and-seek to playing tag, from lying in the grass looking at the clouds to a picnic, from swimming to flying.

The next thing I know, the others are being led into the room, escorted by Erasers as is normal, and put into their cages. They watch the Erasers leave the room before turning to me and realizing that Alexa and I have changed positions. I'm now the one awake and she's the one asleep. They smile at the sight and their smiles calm me down.

_It'll be alright Erika. Nothing will happen to you._

I smile over at Brandon, and I see him visibly relax and I realize that even though they're smiling, they all think that I'm scared. They don't realize that I'm not worried about being alone, but I'm afraid about what will happen to them. If I'm not with them, I won't be able to tell if they're alive, and that idea scares me more than anything else.

I close my eyes, leaning against the sleeping form of Alexa, and force myself to sleep. This time I dream. I'm in my paradise, all of my friends and family around me. We're all sitting down, some lying, on the grass and either talking or looking at the clouds. I just listen to the sounds of the people closest to me, but then I realize that it's slowly getting quieter.

I open my closed eyes and before my eyes, they disappear, one-by-one. Slowly, my paradise is also destroyed, replaced by a dark room, bit by bit. When it's all done, I'm locked in a tiny cage barely large enough for me to lie in, let alone sit in, and it's in a dark, dirty, and smelly room. The room has chains on the bloody walls that obviously have been used for torture before with blood on the floor.

I'm in the torture room, and I can't wake myself up. I know that I must be thrashing and have probably woken my sister up, but I can't seem to wake myself up.

What I don't know is that I had just woken up. This is my home for the moment. I'm stuck here, unable to teleport from the room. They want to break me before giving me someone else to be friends with. They want me to forget the care and love I had just had for the past year. They want my heart to die in all ways but the pumping of blood. They want to kill me.

They want me to die emotionally in such a way that I'll never recover.

* * *

**Well... Like I said before, you probably hate me right now, but that's fine! Just tell me in a review how you feel about this. Anyway, time jump next chapter, but it's a bit shorter than this one was. I'm just trying to give you the backround with Erika and her friends for a while before I actually show her moving between branches of Itex and getting new types of tests. It will happen eventually, though!**

**If anyone really wants to know where this story will be going, though it won't be in detail, go read Chapter Nine of Old and New Attack, the story I introduced Erika in.**

**Can you all check out Angel's Story by The Layman? It's really good and he wants some feedback on it. You can either look up the story itself or look under my reviews to find his page.**

**I'll be posting again sometimes next weekend (which is anytime from after school Friday do before bed Sunday).**

**Posted: 11/13/09 (Friday the 13th)  
Edited: 5/15/10**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Six Months Later**

I watch as my family and friends disappear one-by-one yet again. I know this nightmare; I've been having it almost every night since I was taken. Slowly, the paradise goes away and I'm waking up in my room. It was once the torture room, but now it's my room. I'm alone down here and I'm only fed once a week.

Truthfully, the only things keeping me going are the thoughts of my sister and friends. My parents have come down here a few times, but they truthfully never loved me. They told me that they had only acted like that to make me stronger, but I had become too attached to my family and friends. They couldn't have me, the one they call the perfect experiment, loving a group of people so much.

They had put a gas into the room to knock all of us out once both Alexa and I were asleep before taking me from the room and putting me down here. Since then, I haven't been let out once. They're literally trying to break me, but they can't. I had become too attached to my sister and friends; I won't let them break me.

My head flies up as the door opens and in comes four Erasers and a scientist. They come to my cage and open the door for the first time since I had come down here. Before, they just threw bread, a bottle of water, and fruit through the bars. I stare in amazement as the scientist gestures for me to come out. I can't move, and seeing this, the scientist has an Eraser grab me by the arm, though it's gentle, which is amazing for an Eraser.

They lead me up a set of stairs, down a bunch of hallways, and into a new room. There's one other cage in here, and inside it is a pale boy with black hair that's cut short and goes just under his ears. He's staring at me with dark brown eyes.

I'm pushed into the only other cage in the room, given a large tray of food, and locked in. They all leave the room, the door snapping closed behind them.

Normally, I'd think about introducing myself, but it's been so long since I've had real food that I just go straight for the food. I start to eat the rice, then move onto some chicken before turning to the bread. I go to the apples next, and then the grapes and oranges. I finally drink down the apple juice before drinking the bottle of water.

When I finally look back at the boy, the food is all gone. The boy is looking at me, but I don't see amazement in his eyes, just sympathy. All of us experiments go through this at least once in our life and usually more. We can all relate to each other and feel sorry for those that have such problems.

I look at the boy closely and realize that he's around my age: five. I also see that he doesn't have wings like me. He's not an avian-hybrid. He's an experiment though; if he wasn't, he wouldn't be here in a cage or here at all. I don't know what type of experiment he is because I've never seen such a normal looking experiment in here. None of his features look off, but he also doesn't look like a small version of the scientists. There's something that's different about him, but I don't know what it is.

"Hey, I'm Erik. What's your name?"

My eyes widen in amazement. He actually spoke to me! I thought he'd be like the experiments in the death room that just ignored me most of the time. We never spoke to each other in there. It was only when I went to the room with Alexa and the others that I actually used my voice with someone. Ever since the scientists had taught me how to talk when I was two so I could be tested on, they never wanted me to speak, so I never got to practice.

"Erika."

"Well Erika, I can see that we're going to be in the same room for a while. Why don't we find out about each other? I'll start.

"I'm one of the experiments that are enhanced. Instead of mixing my DNA, they enhanced my senses, brain, and muscles. I'm stronger than the Erasers; know more than the scientists; and I can hear, see, and sense things better than a bird."

I gasp at his choice of comparison for his senses. I have amazing vision because of my raptor vision, I can hear better than the scientists, and I can just sense some things. If he can do that better than me then he definitely is enhanced.

"Is there something wrong?" He's looking at me curiously.

"No… It was just your choice of wording; it surprised me."

"Huh? Oh, don't tell me you're one of those avian-hybrids. Of course you are, I can smell the scent of feathers from you, if only just barely. Well then, I guess you're the five year old Erika that Alexa told me about. She's been very worried about you ever since they took your half a year ago."

"Alexa… Where is she?"

"Erika, I'm sorry… They took her and your four other friends away. They got transferred to Candex up in Alberta, Canada. They won't be there long, but they wanted them out of the way. I guess I know why now… the transfer was a week ago."

Alexa's gone… She's gone and I'll probably never see her again. I've lost her, and I won't get her back. All I have are the memories from that year I had with her, and they're ruined a bit by the memories of my parents and the nightmare-dream that I had as I was forced out of their room.

"Erika, I'm so sorry. I wish that I hadn't had to tell you that information, but Alexa told me that if you ever showed up in here or if I ever saw you, I had to give you something. So can you –"

He stops because I had teleported into his cage. I can't stand being alone in mine right now anyway, so being in here works just as well. I can see he's slightly surprised, but not as much as most would be so that means he knows that I can teleport.

"She – she wants you to have this." He holds out a feather – one of her feathers. "She wanted me to tell you that she didn't pull it out. It fell out when she was molting just after you left and she wants you to have it to remember her by."

I take the feather and run it between my fingers. It's just as soft and smooth as I remember her wings. The feather is one of her secondary feathers; it's too small to be anything but that. It's the exact shade of the light brown her wings had been, but I can also see a slight gold shade on the end of it.

I look up at Erik, fighting down tears but also so thankful to him for giving me this. With it, I might be able to survive. It proves that my sister is still alive right now, even if she might not be forever. That's all I need to survive for another long time. He smiles at me and I can tell he knows how thankful I am to him.

He moves over to where I am, and puts his arm around me, but hesitantly, as if giving me the chance to push him away or move. I don't do it because I need someone to comfort me right now. I'm so close to tears that I know I can't hold them back any longer. They silently fall down my face and his arm tightens around me.

I don't know why he's doing this, but I know that the reason I'm letting him is because my sister trusted him. She trusted him enough to give him her feather so that he could give it to me. She told him about me, about her, about all six of us. He accepted it all and even gave me the feather when we knew that Alexa never could. He's given me something I haven't had in six months: hope.

I lean into him, accepting his comfort, but at the same time, I'm trying to make myself stop crying. Slowly but surely, I slow down my tears until they're gone. Even after they're gone, I continue to lean on him and he continues to hold me. It reminds me of Alexa and how she'd hold me when I was tired or upset. I move my head slightly so that I can talk easily.

"Erik?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

He looks down at me, the corners of his lips twitching as he holds back a smile. That's what makes my smile come, though it's very tiny and barely there. His smile finally forces its way onto his face after that, and I can tell that he's very happy, even though it looks like he's barely smiling.

"You're welcome. I'm just glad to have helped."

I nod, start to pull out of his arms, and I'm stopped. I look at him, cock my head to the right, and make my face show my confusion.

"You don't have to leave. They know you can teleport, so it's not like they never expected it. Heck, they shouldn't bother giving you your own cage; you like to go to different ones."

I look at him, very surprised, until I remember what group of people had just been in this room with him, of course. I had loved to teleport between the different cages, and had even moved my friends around. You have no idea how many times I put us all into the same cage. Of course, they always asked me to put them into the room and out of the cages, but I never could. It was as if something was blocking me.

I try to smile, but even though my face can't seem to make a smile anymore, I know he knows. He pulls me closer to him again, and I lean against him. I take in his scent, which smells alive and is the first smell of something alive I've smelled properly in a long time. The smell of my old room had taken over my sense of smell for a while and was only now leaving my nose. He actually smells like someone who's been around feathers a lot, which only helps me confirm that my family had indeed just left and only had not been in here for a few days.

I let out a quiet but sharp gasp when I feel his hand rubbing circles into my back, right between my wings. He laughs quietly and that helps me relax against him. Eventually, between the rubbing of my back, his smell, and just the chance to relax, I fall asleep. I enter my paradise, but for once, I'm playing hide-and-seek in the forest again.

I watch as Kyle comes running towards my tree again, but this time, I'm not in it. I'm in a tree about fifty feet away, and it's confusing him like crazy. Looking around, I see Alexa running stealthily towards the river the runs through the forest; Brandon is halfway up a tree and unable to get any higher; Shawn and Jen… I think I'd rather be looking somewhere else again; and finally I see a new figure, standing under a tree close by: Erik. He's smiling up at me, knowing where I am, and laughing silently at Kyle's inability to look at any other tree but the one I'm usually in.

He waves quickly before running off through the trees, faster than any of us can run, and about as fast as we can fly. I watch and before I know it, he's over at the river, beating Alexa there by moments and she had been a lot closer. Instead of looking surprised or yelling at him, she smiles at him and gestures in my direction, knowing where Kyle and I both are. She says something to him and he nods, laughing quietly this time.

Finally, Kyle decides to look at another tree and finally spots me. He starts to climb up the tree, but this time I have my teleporting down better and I teleport over to where Erik and Alexa are. They jump and then smile at me, knowing what had happened to make me join them.

We continue to play this until the sun goes down and we all meet at the hill, looking up at the stars. For the first time in half a year, I'm actually enjoying my dreams.

* * *

**Aw... Such a sweet ending for the chapter. Don't you agree? Yeah, I know, _another_ character. Seriously, if you knew my best friend Erika and me in real life and actually succeeded in getting Erika's copy of the eleven chapters I have written from her long enough to read through the binder (which has some _awesome_ and _excellent_ drawings she's drawn of the characters in it) then you'd know that I'm doing this for a reason. You'd also know how many main characters (Well, Erika's the MAIN character, but the other original characters that are mine and come back in the form of thoughts a lot) there will be. I had her draw me an awesome group picture of them in the paradise, but that's besides the point. Anyway, this will be going somewhere, but I'm trying to set up her backround and closest friends.**

**I would have posted this on Friday but one of my oldest friends, who happens to be the person I based Erik off of up to a point (The name comes from him, though it isn't his first name, but middle), was nagging me to post it as soon as possible, so I decided to torture him by waiting until today (Sunday). Sorry for everyone else who reads this story, but I had to do it! He wasn't leaving Erika and me alone about it because she told him tht he was in the story starting in chapter six!**

**Please, review and let me know what you think of the story so far if you're just finding it now, and the chapter if you've reviewed before this!**

**Posted: 11/22/09  
Edited: 5/15/10**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

I wake up and realize that for the first time in a long time, someone's holding me. I shift through my memories and remember Erik, the boy my age that the others had met and gotten to know. He had given me my sister's feather and confirmed that they are alive and together still, even if they are in Canada now.

I shift slightly and it makes Erik move as well. I turn enough so that I can see him as his eyes open and blink to expel the sleep from them. He realizes that I'm in his arms still and his eyes fly open, fully awake now. He sees me looking up at him and he smiles sheepishly, knowing that I had just seen all of his waking up.

"How are you today, Erika?"

"I'm better than I have been in six months, thanks to you."

"That's great to hear. I'm glad to have been of service. Now, when do think they'll feed us? I know you got a tray of food yesterday, but I'm starving. I wonder if they'll bring in any pasta… It's my favorite food, you know."

I laugh at his talk about pasta and the different types they've let him have after he's done well in his testing. He's had so many types that I'm amazed that he remembers them all. The only reason I know it's possible is because he's one of the enhanced experiments, so his memory is definitely the photographic type.

He's also going into detail about the tastes, even using his hands to emphasize everything. It's obvious that he's a pasta eater and really loves it. Sadly, he takes it way too far and starts to describe what all of the pasta is made up of and it's getting very boring. I'm still having the most fun I've had in months, but I'm ignoring him a bit and just watching his hands emphasize.

The door opening makes him stop short and in comes my dad. My heart misses a beat and my breathing stops at the sight of him. Right now, I just wish that I could hurt him, but I can't. He walks slowly into the room and stops in front of the cage, looking down at me and totally ignoring Erik, whose eyes are wide and his mouth is hanging open ever so slightly at this sight. I know that he can see the resemblance between us and is guessing who he is pretty accurately.

"I see they finally let you out. I don't think that you had been down there long enough, but I'm not in charge of you anymore. If I was, you would be down there until two years have passed. It's the only way the success of our mission will occur, but I have no voice in this matter.

"I'd thought you'd like to know that your sister will never be put into the same branch of Itex as you for the rest of your lives. She's to be kept away from you, just like those other avian-hybrids. We don't care if those five are together as they're failures, but you're the perfect avian-hybrid. We need you to be severed from your emotions so that your face is always devoid.

"We're going to work on this starting in an hour. Prepare yourself for the Erasers. Someone will be back to collect you."

With that, he just turns around and walks out the door, not looking back again. All I can do is stare after him and keep my jaw from falling open like Erik's, whose jaw still hasn't moved from its position of wide open that it reached once Alexander started to talk.

I sigh sadly and turn towards Erik. The slight movement shakes him back into his senses and he closes his jaw again. He looks at me, emotions rolling around in his eyes. I just look at him in a way that says 'Yes, he is my father and he's been like that ever since I was taken away from my sister.'

"Erika, don't let them crack you. You're stronger than you look; I can just tell from looking at you. You can't let them succeed in separating you from your emotions. They're what make you stronger than them and anyone else."

I just smile sadly at him, not able to talk yet. Truthfully, I know that they won't crack me. My emotions go too deep and are too strong. I can bury them as deep as I need to, but I'll never lose them.

"Erika…"

"Erik, don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Erika, the Erasers have changed since you were taken away. They've gotten stronger. I don't know how, but I think they changed something in the wolf DNA put into them so that they'd be strong once they're big enough and old enough to fight."

"I'll take what they give me."

"Erika! You cannot let them hurt you. If they do, it'll take you forever to heal and they'll put you back with them before you're done so that you're always healing. I've seen it done before."

"To who? To my sister? To my friends?"

"I… Yes…"

"I thought so. This is a punishment for us. They want us all to suffer. Let them do it, I'll live."

Erik sighs sadly and looks down at the floor, shaking his head slowly. He doesn't want me to get hurt, and I understand that, but I'm going to take any punishment they give me. I'm not afraid of them and want them to know and see it!

"Erika…" I put up my hand to stop him from trying to stop me again, but he continues anyway, shaking his head, "just be careful. Fight in the beginning to show them that you still can and then give in to the Erasers to show that you aren't afraid. You will only be in there for a set amount of time, so fight for the first half, and then when they send in the backup, give up."

I nod, still slightly amazed that he's given in to my choice and amazed that he knows all of this information. He smiles slightly and then puts his arm around me again, being hesitant yet again. I let him, but not because I need comfort this time; he needs the comfort and I'm the only one here that can and needs to give him it. He needs the comfort of me to know that I'll be fine.

We stay like that until another scientist comes in with a group of Erasers that all look excited. Our hour is up and it's time for me to go. Just before I stand up, Erik puts Alexa's feather on the inside of my collar. I can feel it when I stand up, and it's a smooth touch that I need to keep myself calm. I squeeze his hand in thanks and then leave the cage through the now unlocked and open door.

I'm led into a medium sized room, the Erasers who had escorted me along with a bunch of others following me in and standing along the walls, me in the middle of them. I see a one-way mirror and realize that they can see me, but none of the scientists want me to see them. The Erasers are standing at attention, waiting for the signal to be let loose.

"This test is thirty minutes long with no break and the only warning of the halfway mark will be reinforcements coming into the room and a buzzer for them to begin their round. If you defeat the opponents in front of you before fifteen minutes are up, you can use the extra time to recover from the fight.

"Everyone, into fighting position." The Erasers all get into a left-foot forward fighting position known as orthodox while I get into a south paw position, or a right-foot forward position. "Ready, set, fight!"

The Erasers all charge at me, their claws out, and ready to claw me to death. I take Erik's advice to heart and jump above them just before they get to me. Many of them hit heads while the others are running into backs; all of them fall over. I land to the side of the collision and wait for them to attack me.

Looking around, I see a few who hadn't run forward right away that are moving towards me while the others try to pick themselves up off the ground. One of the ones in front of the small group of eight aims a kick at me and I move to the side just in time. I had gone to their left side and that gives me the advantage of being behind them slightly and I kick at its back with a fast side kick.

The moment it falls, another comes from behind me, trying to catch me unawares, and aims a punch at my head. Luckily, I had been using my ears and natural senses and let my instinct kick in. I ducked under the punch, moved closer to the Eraser, and kicked right between the legs, hitting the crotch perfectly. It goes down just as another tries the same move but I look over my shoulder as I kick it in the crotch as well.

One comes from in front and I fake a roundhouse kick and, using the power from it, spin around and use my left leg to do another back kick. It grabs its stomach and I see it go green from nausea. I guess eating before a fight isn't the best idea. I just barely get out of the way before it throws up its breakfast before falling over from the pain in its stomach.

I go towards the next group of Erasers and start to do more spinning back kicks from a fake roundhouse, front kicks, sidekicks, and I even do some double roundhouse kicks that hit the knee and then the head as the Eraser bends down to grab its leg. I keep this up and suddenly I'm left with the leader of the Erasers and it's only been maybe seven to nine minutes.

I sidestep the side kick and block the punch before getting down low and kicking the left knee of the Eraser with a nicely aimed sidekick. When this brings me nothing, I jump up a little and add in a sidekick to the chest, making it back away from me, and this time affecting it. His breath is coming much slower and harder. I use this to my advantage as I jump up once more and aim my strong roundhouse at his neck and, hitting my mark, drop down to the ground and kick at the groin once more. The leader falls to the ground hard, and whimpers in pain.

I back up and move away from the Erasers, trying to catch my breath. When I can breathe easier, I glare at the one-way mirror, knowing that the scientists are looking right at me right now. Then I lower my gaze to my feet and try to catch my breath completely before the next round, knowing what's coming for me when the next batch comes in. The next batch is the one that I'm going to just basically give myself up to, though I will fight the first few to make them think they have a challenge.

After a few minutes of standing there waiting, the door opens and more Erasers come in. Without even looking at me, they take the other Erasers and take them out of the room, knowing that they aren't the backup anymore, but all that they have. When they come back in, they look straight at me and I know that they're angry for what I just did to their comrades.

I walk into the middle of the room again, but they stay in a semicircle this time, not wanting to give me the same chance as before. When the buzzer goes off, the first row of Erasers moves forward from their position in the semicircle and with their claws out and pointed right at me. I wait until they're close to me before I duck under the claws and go between two of the Erasers. Once behind them I push them into the others and I hear the sharp screams of pain from the feel of claws digging into their bodies.

The others, enraged by this, start to move towards me. I smile inside my mind, knowing that I had just done the perfect thing. Enraged Erasers mean clumsy Erasers, so I can take them out fast. Even though I want to show that I'm not afraid of them, I realize now that to do this, I just need to defeat their Erasers wave after wave after wave.

I go into the same state as before, letting my instincts take over as I dodge attacks, attack, and take out the Erasers. Pretty soon there are only five more Erasers left, one is the second wave's leader, and they're breathing harder than I am and I'm breathing pretty hard by now. I smile menacingly at them and I see all but the leader flinch at the look. It's as if they've forgotten that they're dealing with a five-year-old girl who hasn't fought in six months. I think that they're seeing a vicious man that's a killer who trains for a living.

It's actually pretty funny how one little girl can do so much damage, but I am. Unfortunately, the Erasers had been learning throughout the fight and now know when to dodge and when to attack me. I now have a few claw marks on my arms, but they're shallow and the adrenaline is making it so that I don't even notice them at all.

I slowly circle around the room, them doing the same thing, and suddenly I zoom forward, surprising all but the leader and I get three of them in the groin before they start to defend themselves. I back away again, knowing that I was just in the critical zone and they were about to attack me. This time the circling leads to the only other Eraser that isn't the leader to zoom across, but I'm prepared and duck under its arm before kneeing it in the balls. It had been moving forward so the major pain isn't only caused by me, but also by the forward motion that caused my knee to go in deeper than I had intended.

Finally it's just me and the leader. Both of us are breathing much smoother now and we're just circling. After another minute of this, the leader jumps forward, but more warily, and attacks me. I block the attack but the weight of the leader forces me into the wall. The leader it holding me there, now using his left leg to hold my body in place while one arm is holding my arms above my head and against the wall.

I turn my face away from the disgusting smelling breath and try to think of a way out of this. The big problem is that the leader is now tracing a claw over my chest lightly, not cutting anything. The feel of the claw doing this is making me shiver, and I can hear the laughter from the leader and can see the smile out of the corner of my eye. His smile is menacing and also showing some longing. I don't know what the longing is for, but I'm hoping that it's for a fast attack on me so that we can get this done with.

Finally, he stops moving his claw over my chest and gets ready to punch me right under the chin to knock me unconscious. I close my eyes as he grabs my head and turns it straight, not wanting to see the emotions in his eyes that he's sure to have: longing, excitement, happiness. I just stand there, my legs and arms trapped against the wall, my head staying in place just so that this can be over, and my eyes closed in the wish to not see it happen.

I wish that someone or something could protect me. Truthfully, I'd accept anyone or anything protecting me, just so that I won't have to deal with the pains of my jaw when I regain consciousness. I continue thinking about this wish as I hear his fist going back to gain the needed strength before moving in towards my face. I just let this wish take over me, and I never feel the punch hit me.

I open my eyes slowly, afraid of what I might see. Instead of seeing a frightening sight, I see an amazing sight. The leader is trying to push his fist towards my face, but instead of hitting it, it can't get inside of half a foot of it. I can see shimmering sparkles or something like that protecting my face.

He lets go of my arms, trying to hit me with his other arm but it's stopped also. I smile a wicked smile and punch him right in the nose. I feel and hear the crack as his nose breaks and his hands automatically go to his face to grab his nose. Stepping back, he releases me completely and I use this opportunity to kick him right in the groin with the strongest front kick I can muster, making him fall to his knees instantly. He puts out one hand to catch himself, the other still holding his broken nose.

He looks up at me in disbelief just before I lift my right leg up and kick him right in the chest and across the room where he hits the mirror and slides down it to the ground, out cold from the hit against the mirror. I look straight into the mirror, and I see my eyes with a fire of rebellion in them. I know that the scientists can see it too.

The door opens and a group of Erasers come in and take out the other Erasers before closing the door. I sink to the floor, exhausted from all of this. I just want to go back to my cage or somewhere where I can sleep.

As if they heard my thoughts, the scientist from before and a large group of Erasers come into the room and lead me back to my room where they lock me in Erik's cage, knowing that putting me in my own cage would be pointless. Then they leave the room, not even turning to look at me as they leave.

I look up at Erik, smile at him, and then lie down and feel myself fall asleep. I never even feel the pain of my injuries because the adrenaline stays with me until the moment I sink into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Well... A very action-filled chapter. I just want to point out that Erika's supposed to be an amazing bird-kid because they made her that way. I'm not trying to give her the ability to fight for no reason.**

**The next chapter is calmer... No time-jumps yet. Chapter Nine is the next one.**

**I just want to wish my friends here in the U.S. of A. a Happy (Late) Thanksgiving! I hope you all enjoyed it.**

**Posted: 11/29/09  
Edited: 5/15/10**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

I wake up slowly, feeling a sudden burst of immense pain hit me. I groan and close my eyes tighter, wishing the pain would go away. Instead, I feel a light touch on my arm and my eyes fly open, searching the area around me on instinct. My eyes flash to Erik's and I see the worry in them.

Holding in another set of groans, I carefully sit up, assisted by Erik. Once I'm sitting, my view of myself is clear and I can tell I'm a mess. My clothes are covered in blood, my body covered in even more of it, and I can just make out cuts and bruises under all of the blood. Glancing up at Erik, I see him looking at my body, hurt and worry clouding his features.

He looks me in the eyes, sighs, and speaks for the first time, "Are you okay, Erika?"

"I've been better." We both know that's an understatement. I haven't felt like this since the first time in that maze with Alexa, and not even half a year of almost starvation was this bad.

"Erika, we need to clean you up and try to cover the wounds as best and as fast as we can. Even if you do heal quickly, they won't heal if they get infected."

I sigh. "You're right." I look around the room and see nothing but two trays of food. "How, though?"

Instead of answering with words, he gets up and shows me tacitly by getting one of the bottles of water, a napkin, and then comes back to me. After opening the bottle, he dampens the napkin and wipes the blood off my arms and legs, changing the napkins often.

A few minutes and half of the napkins later, all of the non-clothed parts of me are clean and I'm taking off my shirt and jeans, which are ruined anyways.

He cleans the rest of me off and then proceeds to dry my skin. I realize then how battered I am and also how gentle Erik's being. He's not putting much pressure on the bruises that cover most of my body nor the cuts that cover both bruised and non-bruised areas of my body.

When my body is clean and dry, he stares at my clothes and the pile of bloody napkins. Obviously thinking because of the look on his face, he gets another bottle of water, grabs my ripped and bloody clothes, and scoots over to the edge of the cage. Once there, he starts to rinse off my clothes with the water. I don't understand why he's doing it, so I just watch until my growling stomach catches both of our attentions.

"Go ahead and eat," he tells me, smiling over his should while still cleaning my clothes.

I start to eat some of the bread, not wanting to eat properly until Erik joins me. Finally, he finishes cleaning my clothes off, but then he takes the remaining napkins to dry them off. I still don't understand the point of this, but I don't want to seem rude or ungrateful by asking.

When the clothes are dry to his satisfaction, I'm tacitly shown the very obvious reason for his doing all of this: he's making me bandages. He's slowly ripping the now cleaner clothes into strips of cloth. Once they're all ripped up, he comes over to me and grabs my left wrist lightly. Pulling it closer to him so that my arm is straight, he starts to bandage up my arm and then does the same to my right arm, followed by my legs.

Only once I'm all bandaged up does he grab some of the food and begin eating. I look down at his handy-work. My arms are covered in the strips tightly enough that I'd have to actually try to make them come off to get them off and they show none of my skin up to my shoulder from my wrist. My legs are done in the same way, but only in the places they got cut, not all over. The leftover strips had had to be used for my torso, which I luckily protected so that there are possibly three cuts on it.

I smile at Erik thankfully, and get a happy smile in return, before starting to really eat my lunch. We don't talk the entire time we're eating, so I'm able to reminisce about the fight in detail while I stuff myself with pasta, vegetables, and chicken. Images of my kicking Eraser butt come up and I slowly see how many I had defeated, though I still can't tell the exact number.

I also imagine the faces of the scientists. They must be so furious because it's so obvious that they wanted me to get defeated by those stupid Erasers. Alexander, Alexandra, and Peter have been, and might still be, on rampages from their anger of watching me defeat their precious Erasers that mean more to them than I do. If they hadn't been watching that fight, then I'll starve myself for a week, even after half a year of almost complete starvation. They love to watch those fights and my being in one would make it so that they wouldn't want to miss it even more.

When Erik and I finish, and I'm out of my imagination, he moves over towards me and settles down next to me, sitting cross-legged. My mind is still slightly in the memories of the fight and so I don't pay very close attention to him until a slight movement catches my eye and I turn towards him properly. I see that his hand is held out and in it is Alexa's feather, being offered to me. I look up into his eyes, startled. Grabbing it, I feel confused and slightly curious as I hadn't felt it during the fight and I had just gone to the conclusion that it had fallen out.

"It was in your shirt when they brought you in here, but it had moved up more so that it wasn't touching you anymore, allowing it to fall out when you had gone onto your side and fallen asleep in almost the same moment."

"Oh. Well, thanks."

"No problem." We sit in silence for a moment, me playing with the feather while waiting for him to the questions I know he wants the answers to. "What happened?"

"I was given thirty minutes to fight. I fought to the best of my ability. In the end, my prowess overtook theirs and I won before time was up both rounds."

"Wow. Both rounds?" He sounds amazed and as if he doesn't believe me completely but he wants to.

"That's what I said and what happened," I reply, a bit hurt that he doesn't trust me about this.

"Sorry, but I had to confirm it because the others very rarely won the second round before time was called, and never the first, let alone both."

"Oh."

"Yeah…"

"Well, I found out about another power."

"You did?"

"Yeah, I can make force fields."

"Really? What happened?"

I retell the whole end of the fight to Erik. "…and it never hit me so I look up and his hand is half a foot from my face, unable to move, and there were these shining sparkles around me."

"Amazing, truly amazing. So all you did was think of something protecting you?"

"Yeah – well, I sort of wished for it. I didn't actually think of anything specific."

"In this case, it's the same thing – the thought of something protecting you." He pauses. "I wonder… no, we can't; you're too weak still."

"I want to try working with it, Erik. I need to perfect this power. It could make all the difference in my Eraser fights and you know it!"

"Okay, fine, I'll help you practice. There's one condition, though," the smile that had been coming over my face fades, "we stop when you start to feel exhausted."

"Okay." I smile immensely, very happy to have a new power, to be able to practice it, and someone to practice it with. I think he knows why I'm happy because a slow, wry, smile appears.

"First, we need to practice clearing your mind." When I groan another smile plays over his features before his face becomes neutral again. "With it clear, you'll be able to bring up a stronger and faster shield."

"Wait… How do you know all of this?"

"That friend of yours, Kyle, got this power while in here and we all learned how to train it up very well. Between us and the scientists, he could conjure up a strong shield in less than half a second." I gape at him when he says that and his smile returns, staying this time. "It was amazingly strong and he doesn't have your intelligence, endurance, accuracy, speed, or strength. With all of that, yours will be even stronger."

I smirk but hold in my snicker at Erik's choice of words to describe the differences between Kyle and me in a kind way. Kyle might be older, but I've always fought better and gotten better test results. He just couldn't compete with me. The only one who could other than Brandon, who used his powers to cheat on the tests, was Alexa and not even she was as good as me.

Even as the youngest of the group, I was the best made, as the scientists put it, and I just found everything the scientists threw at me easy. Everything comes naturally to me and I still don't know where all of it comes from, but I know how to use it when in a situation and it just works for me. Kind of like when I wanted to be with someone so I teleported to Alexa's cage or just a few hours ago when I was fighting the Erasers and didn't want to be hit so I made the force field. My instincts kick in at random times and it works for me. It also makes me stronger, faster, more accurate, and able to take in things better.

I hear Erik start to talk and pay attention, "Just think of nothing but a wall or some solid object that's like a wall. Use it to clear your mind as well as to give you an image to help make a strong shield."

I stare at the wall in front of me and only think of the wall. Slowly, all other thoughts leave my mind, leaving the wall at the forefront of it and my senses taking over the rest. Right now I can hear, feel, smell, and sense things better than ever before. I can tell where every bar of the cage is, where the walls are, where the trays of our food are, and of course, where Erik is. Without seeing them, I can tell where they all are as well as everything else in this room. My heightened senses pick up on Erik's jaw muscles moving and I can tell he's about to talk.

"Now imagine that wall all around you. When you've done that, I'm going to test it."

I imagine the wall around me, and so fast that it appears from one heartbeat to the next, the shivering noise, and I'm guessing the sparkles are there too, of my slightly moving force field is around me. Moments later, Erik moves to test it and I move the shield to protect that part of my body a bit more than the rest.

I sense, more than hear, his hand touch my shield and bounce off of it. He tries again from a different angle but I sense the target, using both my senses and my brain to figure it out, and move the shield so that the end result is the same. We do this for a while longer until Erik, not me like he thought it would be, is too tired to continue.

I turn to face him, my shield still up, and raise an eyebrow at him. He in turn smiles at me. Rolling my eyes, I start to move around so that I can practice using the shield while moving, and eventually, fighting. While this is slightly tougher, I still have no more problems doing it than I did while staying still and my energy level is barely lower than I started with.

"Good, Erika," I turn to look at Erik again, "very good. You're already better than Kyle by a long-shot. Keep this up and the Erasers won't be able to touch you even."

I smile and finally release the shield, feeling as if I'm taking only off a winter jacket once inside a building and leaving the rest of my jackets on still. Sitting down, I grab a bottle of water and take a long drink from it. It's been a long few days for both Erik and me, and we need rest.

"Let's get some sleep, Erik."

"Yeah, you're right, we both need it."

Before I can even move, Erik comes over to me and lies down on his side, facing me, right next to me. I smile a small smile and lay down while putting my back against his stomach for the comfort he can offer me in this horrid place we're both forced to live in. I'm also enjoying the warmth he gives me.

He wraps one arm around me and falls asleep, smiling ever so slightly against my back before he does. I follow close behind, a small smile on my own face, and enter my paradise. We're all on the hill again, watching the clouds. Jen and Shawn are on one side of the hill, being quieter this time, though it's obvious that they're enjoying themselves still. Kyle is off to the side of the rest of us, just lying back and looking up at the sky. Brandon is holding Alexa while she lies on top of him basically, both looking upwards at the clouds that seem to change shape every time you look at them closer.

I smile as Erik tightens his old on me and I lean into him a bit more, very much in the same position as my sister. I just enjoy the moment and feelings while I can, knowing, sadly, that it won't last forever but enjoying it anyways.

* * *

**Well well well... Another power. Please, I'm not doing this huge number of powers like she has 6, she'll recieve one more (Stated in Chapter 9 of Old and New Attack so I'm free to say that) and she's done. The only reason I chose these is my best friend, Erika, helped me create this character so the powers and where she eventually goes all come from her. I just write the thing.**

**Anyone think Erik is kind? If you do, then that's good! I'm trying to give him the good side of my friend whose middle name is Erik (that's the only reason the character is called Erik, not because it goes with Erika). He's kind a lot of the time.**

**Well, I can say this freely. There is a time-jump next chapter, and a big one at that. You have no reason to be annoyed about it, though, as I finished chapter twelve last night and it gives some information about the jump, though I'll never say what that information is!**

**Please review and let me know what you this of this chapter, and the story in general of course!**

**Posted: 12/5/09  
Edited: 5/15/10**


	9. Chapter 9

****

Chapter Nine

**One and a Half Years Later**

I try to catch my breath as I wait for the twentieth, and final, wave of Erasers to come in. I've been in here for nine and a half hours straight, fighting wave after wave of Erasers, each wave larger than the last. The first wave had been one hundred and fifty Erasers and the waves got larger by fifty each time, the last wave always the first three waves after hours of healing as well as new Erasers. This is the third time I've done the twenty waves for ten hours, and let me tell you, it's exhausting.

Once I can finally breathe again, I go to the wall and slide down it, my back against it. I'm trying to save my energy, knowing that if I don't, I'll actually get hurt this time around. I learned very fast once I had mastered my force field that, in long fights like this, I have to rest when I can or I get hurt, badly. My energy levels go down slowly in the beginning, but after a while they start to plummet so fast that I can be at almost full strength and then suddenly at half strength in half an hour. It can take a couple of hours or more before that happens, but it can happen very suddenly.

I don't know how long I sit here for, but I hear the door opening and look up to see the last round of Erasers entering the room, over one thousand of them. They're all moving towards me, but they know not to attack me yet. They just surround me so that I have the wall to my back and no way out but to fight. They're leaving me space, though, so that I can move a bit to get ready, even though I still have five minutes before the fight starts again.

I sit here for a moment longer and then stand up, feeling my energy levels as I do. I have the energy for another half hour of shielding, but I'll have a hard time near the end of it, so I'll have to make this a fast fight. Otherwise, I could get hurt this time, and I really don't want to have to have Erik bandage me up again. Not after the last time where I had a bunch of cuts because I used up my energy from shielding too fast. That had been about three months after finding my second power.

I think about my sister's feather, which has long been taken away from me by the scientists but is still in my memory so vividly that I feel as if I still have it with me. With this image in my mind, I can clear my mind very quickly before imagining the feather surrounding me. The feather is maybe a quarter of a foot away from me, and that's where my shield is. I've learned that the farther away from me it is, the more energy it takes to keep it up. I usually keep it half a foot away until the last two or three rounds when I bring it to a quarter of a foot away so that I can make it block all of the hits and not die on me in the middle of the last round.

Once I have my shield up, I get into my fighting stance and wait for the buzzer, knowing that it'll sound soon. I see that the Erasers are getting restless. They always want revenge on me in the last round, hating me for defeating them in their original rounds, and they love knowing that I'm weaker this round compared to the last time they saw me. They want to hurt me, showing me what it felt like to be them earlier on.

The buzzer sounds, and the Erasers move immediately. Their energy has built up so much that they can't hold it in. Only their training and orders have kept them in line this entire time, the need to attack me is that great. The only reason I like this round is that their wish to do what they either couldn't do earlier or the groups before them couldn't do, defeat me, has them so blinded that they're much weaker. Oh, and the fact that many of them are weak from the first fights I had in here.

They all charge at me, claws pointed right at me, and they're moving fast. I see that they're about to hit me, and I duck moments before they do, actually able to feel the wind from their moving claws on the top of my head. Instead of waiting for them to straighten themselves, I use their unbalanced stance to my advantage and kick my right leg out in an arc, sweeping all of them to the ground. Keeping my shield up and my body low, I get on top of them and just walk, stepping where it hurts the most and I can actually see tears in many of their eyes.

Letting my enhanced senses out, I hear the next row of Erasers running towards me as well and I jump up, kicking them all in the head as hard as I can without even looking at them. When I land, I kick the Eraser nearest to me in the gut, making the breath leave his lungs. I then make a fist and hit him on the top of the head as I jump up slightly. He stumbles and I use that as my chance to sweep him and then just kick him in the liver, knocking him unconscious.

The others are trying to organize themselves now and I just let my instincts take over: I kick, punch, sweep, let my shield throw Erasers against the walls, and even pick up a few while flying low and use them to attack the others. It takes me no more than five hits to take one out, and usually no more than three. They are all so hyped up on revenge, anger, or the thought that they can do better than the other groups that they can't fight properly.

The advantage of this is that I can just dodge and attack, making my shield weaker in the process so that I have more energy. The disadvantage is that it means that when I do need my shield, their hits are strong and it's taking more energy every time to keep the shield up when an attack hits it straight on. I don't think I can keep this up much longer. Pretty soon I'll either have to drop my shield and fight or keep my shield up and use up my energy doing it so that I faint before I'm done.

Looking at the Erasers with my eyes for the first time since I let my instincts take over, I'm amazed to see only twenty or so left. The one disadvantage of letting my instincts take over is that while I can still see what I'm doing, I can't keep track of how many I'm taking down when the numbers are this high. It doesn't matter because this means that I can keep my shield up and still take these Erasers down without a problem.

I look up a bit more and I can see some actual fear in their eyes and in how they're standing. They don't want me to attack them, but know I will, no matter what they want. I'm not sure why, but I always seem to get this feeling that many of the Erasers don't always like fighting me once their instinctual wish to fight is overcome with some fighting.

I take a step towards them and they all freeze in their fear, so I just run forward and make it quick by doing an upper cut to the chin to each and knock them all unconscious before they can either attack me or force me to really hurt them. They don't feel anything more than a slight pain to their jaws this way and it means that I'm done.

I take one last look around the room, see that all of the Erasers are down, go over to the wall, and basically fall against it, my shield coming down as I sit. My energy is basically gone, and I'm not even sure if I'll be able to get back to my room today. I'm going to have to be helped down to it if they want me back in there. My muscles are so tired that they're numb. How I'm still sitting up, even if it is against the wall, I have no idea. All I know is that I'm ready to fall over and sleep for at least half a day.

I hear the door open, but don't even lift my head to look, knowing that they always come for the Erasers before me. All I do is listen to them lift the Erasers up and take them out of the room, not really caring anymore. My eyes are closed and I'm barely keeping myself awake right now, hearing all of the noises around me as if I have something in my ears. I can't hear it properly and it's all quieter, but I can still hear the noises of Erasers being moved.

Finally I feel a touch on my arm and it sends enough adrenaline through my veins for me to be able to open my eyes, look up, see that it's a scientist offering me a hand, grab the hand, and use her to lean against so I don't fall over. She's the scientist they always send in after these fights so that I can be helped to my room. She's one of them, but she's also a lot younger than most and knows how to be gentle with me, yet strong enough to get me to my room.

We get there and she walks me to my cage, unlocks the door with one hand while the other keeps me steady, and then hands me to Erik, who's waiting to help me into the cage. This is a very normal procedure by now and we're all trusted enough now so that we don't even need Erasers in here anymore. They've realized that we're calmer than my other friends ever were; we don't want to escape by pushing past a scientist when he or she comes with food, to test us, or to bring us back from testing. We've learned that it doesn't work and there's no point in it so we just don't bother anymore.

She closes the cage door, locks it, smiles at us momentarily, and then leaves the room. Once she's gone, Erik slowly puts me on the ground, looking me up and down to make sure I didn't get hurt. Once he's assured himself that I kept my shield up long enough this time, he sighs in relief and sinks back against one of the bars of the cage. I look up at him from my position on the floor and realize that he was worried I wouldn't last the entire ten hours of fighting, as he usually does.

"Erik," his eyes flutter open completely and look down to me when he hears my almost silent whisper, "I'm fine. I'm just tired. I almost didn't make it, but you know what happens when I let my instincts take over. I looked up after a while and saw I only had twenty more and I took them out fast, making it to the end before I could faint."

"Erika, I know you can fight, but the idea of someone that's six fighting for ten hours straight is just horrendous. I still can't believe they make you do it, and it's even harder to believe that you actually survive it every time. They still have me at the five hour round and I'm built to fight like this; you aren't."

"But I am. You're built to be the perfect enhanced human while I'm built to be the perfect avian-hybrid. You only have human abilities, even if they are enhanced, but I have avian as well as human and both are enhanced, even if it isn't as much as you are. Besides, girls mature earlier than boys. Watch, in maybe a year you'll be fighting as if you were always better than me."

"Erika…"

"Erik, trust me, you'll be what they want. We've even heard them say that you're moving along exactly as they thought you would, just as they've said it about me. We're both doing what they want and are up to their standards, and it'll be enough to keep us both alive for a while longer."

He sighs, "You're right yet again, Erika. I shouldn't worry about all of this."

"But you do anyways and you probably always will."

He glares at me as I stick my tongue out as much as I can with the little energy I have. I don't think he's realized how exhausted I am and how hard I have to work myself just to talk to him. I know that I'll faint soon, but I'd rather fall asleep because it means I can dream. I look him in the eye and silently plead for him to realize how exhausted I am.

"Erika, how exhausted are you really?" Yes, he noticed the pleading in my eyes.

"I can't stay awake any longer…"

My eyes close on their own, my energy too weak to keep them open any longer. I listen as Erik quickly moves himself closer to me, knowing that I'm about to either fall asleep or let the blackness of unconsciousness overtake me. He lightly lifts my head onto his stomach as he lies down near me, making us look like a 'T'.

I smile slightly as I feel his hands rub circles to the left and right of my forehead, helping the tension. It helps me relax just that much more as I fall asleep and helps me go to my paradise where we're all in a meadow getting ready to take off and fly. Whenever we do this, I always carry Erik in my arms as he's weightless here in my paradise. We all fly up and look down at the world below, amazed at its beauty and enjoying the sky as well as the many types birds that love to fly with us. We're just having the time of our lives up here, enjoying the fun while we can.

* * *

**This was a 'Let's let you see what's been going on' chapter. I just kind of wanted to show you what went on in that time gap. The next chapter has a small time jump with a surprise in it.**

**Well, I've been very busy... I was helping someone write their chapter, getting ready for my test in karate today which I passed, as well as school. I'll seriously write at least a chapter tomorrow, if not more. **

**Happy Chanukah to any fellow Jews reading this! I hope you enjoy the holiday. To my fellow Christians (Of any type), Christmas is coming. I might even try to give you all a special treat known as a chapter on a Thursday for the 24th! It just depends on how much writing I get to do before I go to Pennsylvania next Sunday, how much I do there, and if I have access to a computer long enough to update. Either way, I'll be back next Friday or Saturday to update for sure!**

**Please review and let me know what you thought of the chapter.**

**Posted: 12/12/09 (Known to me as the date I got my High Purple Belt in Karate!)  
Edited: 5/15/10 (Sorry about the title... I'll try to fix it later)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

**Six Months Later**

The sound of the door opening makes Erik and I both wake up and get to our knees so fast you wouldn't have known we were fast asleep just moments before. We flash a glance at each other before looking back at the door, both of us wondering who's about to be tested. We continue to listen and we hear a lot of footsteps coming down the hall to join whoever's holding the door open.

One noise makes us turn and stare at each other again because it makes us both realize that neither of us is being tested on right now: the sound of wheels moving along the floor. The only time they use carts is to move cages around, and by how slow the cage is moving, this one has someone in it. I still don't see why they bother giving a cage per person in the room when I'm in it, but whatever.

The cart finally reaches the room, but Erasers and scientists block our view of it. They lift the cage off the cart and place it between the cage we're in and 'my' cage, also known as the empty and unused cage. Then the Erasers leave, but scientists sill block our view for a few minutes until someone brings us our food and we give up our vigil of the new cage to eat.

Sometime while we had been eating, they left, so when we finally look up, we can see into the cage. Inside is another girl who has brown hair that's pretty dark, but not so dark that it looks black, that goes down to the middle of her back. I can't see her eyes or back because she's facing the door, which means we can only see the side of her. From this angle, though, she looks to be about our age, so that's a bonus.

As if she feels eyes on her, she turns to look at us, her dark brown eyes strangely vacant. It's as if she's locked herself away inside of herself, like she's given up, doesn't care anymore. She's just looking at us, not really seeing us it seems like. It's very freaky, but also so very normal for anyone here that it's sad to see the look on her.

Erik moves close to my ear and whispers under his breath, "The air has a stronger scent of bird."

I feel myself stiffen upon hearing that one statement. My wings bring the scent of bird into the room, or so Erik says. If he says it's stronger then that can mean only one thing… I look up at her slowly, still stiff, and try to see what I want to see. I notice that her shirt is moving just enough to be noticeable, but she's still stock still, looking at us without seeming to see us. All that this movement does is confirm my suspicions.

I slowly start to move my wings, knowing that it will catch her attention as well as tell her that we're on her side in more ways than just the fact that we're all experiments. My wings slip through the slits cut into the back of my shirt, barely touching the fabric, and feel the air of the room directly for the first time since I had woken up. I want to open them but I know better than to do that because it might scare her and even if it doesn't, it'll be a surprise to both of them. Instead, I keep them moving out slowly.

When they've past my arms, I know that she has to see them soon. I already feel Erik's gaze on me, trying to figure out what I'm doing. I don't even turn to acknowledge him and the fact that he's looking at me, preferring to watch the girl to see her reaction to my actions when she decides to show it. Her eyes seem to widen when she suddenly catches the very slow movement. I smile slightly and open my wings more, letting her see more of them. Pretty soon they're completely out of my shirt and half open.

I watch as I see more movement from her and I hold in a cheer, letting myself just smile, and wait until her wings are also visible. Slowly I see a few white feathers, but then I take a closer look as I see more and more of her wings. They aren't white, but a mixture of a light blue, white, and silver. They seem to mold into each other so that you have to look closely to see it. The silver is making them seem to shine and the blue is adding a light shading to both the silver and the white, making them stand out perfectly. When she finally has her amazing wings in the same position as me, I realize that my idea of her seeming to be my age is correct as her wings are almost the same size as mine, very normal for two avian-hybrids that are the same age and have wings that are still growing. When we're both done growing, they'll be different sizes, but for now they're around the same.

She has a small smile on her face when I turn to look at it again. Her eyes seem to be shining and that vacant look isn't there anymore. It's as if she has a purpose in this horrible place now. She seems to be relaxing, her body is sinking down a bit and isn't as straight. I watch as she leans against one of the bars of her cage, a lot more relaxed than she had been just three minutes ago. She seems to be thinking because her face is slightly scrunched up, so I motion for Erik to be quiet for a minute or two and I see him nod out of the corner of my eye. When her face smoothes out and she looks up at us, I know that she's ready to talk but I'm going to let her start.

"I'm Victoria, and I was forced into this room after coming here from somewhere in Virginia," she tells us, her voice very quiet. To a normal human she would sound like she's whispering, even though to Erik and me, she's much louder than just a whisper and we don't have to strain to hear her.

"Well then Victoria, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Erik and my winged friend here is Erika. I think you two will get along perfectly; you both have wings and all." Erik is smiling and I can tell he's trying hard not to laugh at all of this. He's finding this very funny, even though I don't really see what's so hilarious about meeting a new person in this place and possibly making a new friend, but that would be why I'm the one not laughing.

"What my laughing friend here is trying to say is that I'm the avian-hybrid and he's the enhanced human. He doesn't have any awesome wings like you and me." Victoria laughs at that along with me while it makes Erik shut up and glare at me slightly. His glare turns into a smile to show that he's not angry and knows I'm just fooling around and trying to make her feel welcome.

"Who needs wings when you have an enhanced body? I mean, I'm faster, stronger, smarter, and, of course, more beautiful than you two." I glance over at Victoria and we both roll our eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me; you know it's true!" We start to laugh, though we're both trying to hold it in without much success.

"Do you deal with this every day?" Victoria asks very curiously. She's looking at me but I know that she's talking about Erik.

"Not every day; just almost every day." Erik scowls. "He likes to fool around and pretend he's better than me, even though we've never actually been against each other in anything."

"Oh… so basically he's making all of this up?"

"Basically."

"I am not!" We turn to Erik to see that he's pretty angry. "Erika, you know what the scientists say about me."

"Huh? Oh yeah, that you're the best enhanced human they've ever made in the Americas, since you haven't been compared with the east yet. That's good in the enhanced human category, but they never said the best experiment in any part of the world, so I could still be better than you. I'm not an enhanced human and neither is Victoria. We've avian-hybrids."

Erik opens his mouth to reply, can't think of a response to that, and closes it. Victoria and I laugh at this and he glares at us, not liking the fact that I've beaten him at his own game. I was being truthful too, which is just making it worse for him. We've heard the scientists that come in here say that he's the best enhanced human they've created in the Americas, but they've never said anything about how good he is against other types of experiments or the rest of the world.

The two of us are still laughing and only stop when the door opens and a scientist comes in with a bunch of Erasers. One look at the number of Erasers and I turn to Erik, tacitly telling him that it's his turn to be tested. They always give me at least ten Erasers when picking me up, not trusting me even though I've never tried to escape; there are only seven here today.

My guess is confirmed when they come to our cage, open the door, and the scientist points to Erik, letting us know that it's him they want. He sighs and moves out of the cage, walking right into the center of the seven Erasers after waving to both Victoria and me. They lead him out of the room while the scientist locks the cage up and then leaves, leaving Victoria and me in the room alone.

I look over into her cage and try to decide if there's enough space in there for me. I hadn't realized it before, but they gave her a cage the same size as the one Erik and I share, as if they knew I'd be going between the two cages a lot. I decide it's time to surprise her and think about the space on the other side of her cage from where she is and let myself teleport there.

She moves back slightly in surprise, her eyes wide and her mouth open. She starts to look from where I'm sitting to back where I had been just moments before in the other cage. She then stares at me then, as if she can't figure out what happened or what I had just done. She keeps opening and closing her mouth as well, as if she can't figure out what to say about this. I take some pity on her and tell her.

"Victoria, calm down. I can teleport, that's all. Many avian-hybrids get powers over time and we train them until we can use them very well. I have teleportation and I can make force fields. I'm guessing from your reaction that you don't have any powers yet." She just shakes her head, still too shocked to speak. "Well, if you get a power or two, you'll realize how excellent and useful they are."

"So – so you've seen others with powers? Others like us?" I guess the idea of powers allowed her to speak, but what she just said surprises me. She hasn't met any other avian-hybrids before?

"Yeah. I know a whole group of avian-hybrids. Am I the first one you've ever met?"

"No, I've met a few others, and I know of a couple more groups. Three different groups in total, one group's ages are the same as the oldest in the other older group, though that one has younger ones too. Both groups are much older than the third." There are three groups of avian-hybrids? I was expecting maybe two at the most, one being my group, but not three.

"Three…?"

"Yeah, three. One group was moved and another escaped."

"What – what group escaped?" I look at her wanting to hear that it's my sister and friends who escaped and not one of the other two.

"Um… I think I heard that two of them are twins and another two siblings are nicknamed Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. The rest aren't related. It's one of the older groups" I think that she noticed how disappointed I am because she adds, "I'm sure your friends are fine, if they're the people I'm thinking of."

I sigh. "They aren't just my friends; one of them is my sister. I haven't seen her or heard about her in two years, which is when I came into this room."

"They're definitely the people I met! They were talking about you. I wasn't sure, though, so I didn't want to say anything. I'll let you know what we talked about another time; maybe tomorrow or the day after. It was a lot, so we'll need a full day. Now, I'd better tell you about that other group…

"The other group is younger than us, the oldest three being two years or so younger than us at around four or five. There's only one other who's five years younger than us at two years old. Rumor is going around that the scientists of their lab, one in Death Valley called The School, are going to try another avian-hybrid, on a mother who's willing to sell her own child and another child if she has to, just because she needs the money." I gasp at this, hating the idea of a mother selling her child to a place like this. "That's how everyone reacts… I reacted that way as well. It's sick, but we're not any of them so we can't exactly help."

I sigh and nod. "Did you hear all of this through rumor or the scientists… or a mixture of both?"

"A mix of both really. The scientists were talking about the ones who escaped while testing me a few times. The other group was through rumor and people who actually met them at that Itex branch, though they don't know that it's called Itex. None of the experiments do there, as if they don't want those kids to know."

"That's new. We hear the name here all the time."

"I know, but I've also heard that none of them have names, even though the older ones are four or five and the younger one is two. I mean, around any place I've been to or heard about, any experiment that lasts over three year thinks of their own name, but there, none of them do. The experiments I talked to didn't make up their own names until their next branch of Itex."

"Wow…" I sigh and look around the room for a minute or two while we sit in silence, both thinking about the different avian-hybrids, or at least I am.

I hear footsteps coming and look over at the door to see Erik being led into the room and put into the cage I'm usually in, though I might start splitting up my nights between the two cages. The Erasers and scientist leave and Erik sits up, looking at first me and then Victoria.

"How'd it go, Erik?" I ask, wondering what they made him do this time.

"Easy. All they made me do was test my strength." His smile is huge so I know that he lifted a lot of weight – again. "I lifted a van today." I roll my eyes, but Victoria is staring at him.

"A van? How did you lift a van?"

"Easily. We told you earlier, I have strength beyond what you both have. I've been told that when I'm a little older, I can probably lift a truck with extra weights in the back."

"Okay, so, Victoria, why don't we tell Erik what you told me while he was gone having fun lifting vehicles again," I say quickly before this can turn into a huge fight over Erik's strength and other enhancements.

She nods and Erik turns to look at us. We spend the rest of the day talking about the other avian-hybrids as well as my friends and sister, just enjoying the chance to get new information on experiments. I end up sleeping in Victoria's cage; we had talked so much that we all slowly fall asleep without even realizing we're doing it.

* * *

**My best friend loved some of the dialogue in this chapter. When I reread it myself, I understood why as some of the things I put in it were funny. I hope you enjoyed it. Anway, we now have the final person of the group: Victoria. I promise, she's the final person as this group is big enough. I only have the next two chapters written, so I'm not completely sure what I'll be doing yet, but I know where it's going to end up. Either way, you'll get to know her in the next few chapters.**

**Now, I'm going to do something special for you all next week: Posting on a Thursday. I'm going to update on Christmas Eve. I'm not sure what time I'll be doing it, but it shall be done. If I have to, I'll steal my mom's laptop to do it. I'll be in Pennsylvania for my winter break, which has officially started, so I might not have such an easy time posting. Writing, I'll fight to do, even if it's by hand. **

**Please review and let me know what you thought of the chapter. Please, I've got this story on alerts and favorites now, but not many of those people have reviewed. I think reviews would help me want to pull my head out of reading FanFiction and force me to write my own.**

**So, I hope all of you enjoy your break. I'll talk to you all again on Christmas Eve!**

**Posted: 12/19/09  
Edited: 5/15/10**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

I wake up suddenly and as stay as still as I can, preferring to let my senses reach out before moving. I can hear two people breathing around me and not much else. Their breathing is slow, though, so I can tell that they're both still asleep. I slowly and almost silently sit up, opening my eyes as I do. I see Erik is lying on his side, curled up a bit in his sleep. Victoria is in a ball completely while on her side, and she has sweat covering her face, or at least the part of it I can see.

Just as I start to move so that I can go around Victoria and see her face completely, she whimpers almost silently in her sleep and she shivers. I hold in the gasp that is almost instinctual when I realize that she's having a nightmare not unlike the ones I used to have all the time and now only have once in a while. I slowly move towards her, making my movements as quiet as I can, even though she probably can't hear what's going on around her with her nightmare since I can only hear loud noises while having mine.

When I reach her, I lightly touch her back in the space right between her wings and shoulder blades, calmly rubbing very light circles there. Alexa had done this to me in the beginning whenever I had a nightmare, at least until I had gotten used to her touch and just her putting a hand on me would either calm me down or wake me up. Before that, this had calmed me down until I'd woken up as it gave even my dream-self the feeling that someone was there for me.

I watch as I continue my circling and Victoria slowly stops shivering and her whimpers are completely gone. Before too long it looks like she's having a normal dream again. Instead of trying to wake her up like Alexa had done with me, I stop and let her sleep some more. I look over at Erik once I'm sure that she's calmer and see that he's awake and looking at me, slightly amazed and also surprised. I smile at him and teleport to his cage, ending up right next to him.

"How did you do that?" His lips are right by my ears and he's muttering under his breath. "I woke up to her light whimpering and couldn't think of any way to help, so I tried to act normal so that no one would realize I was awake. I rubbed you between the wings the first day you were here, if you remember it, but not where you did and it didn't have that sort of reaction, so how did you calm her down like that?"

"Well," I mutter under my breath, knowing that he'll hear me without me being by his ear, "you fooled me. Anyways, it's a trick Alexa used to use on me when I was having nightmares. I just kind of did it without really thinking about it, not even knowing I knew it. She had never told me how she'd wake me up, but I guess I just knew subconsciously."

"Well, I guess we should be thankful that you know how to do it then because I think that she'll need that a lot for a while. You had nightmares for a while when you first got here and woke me up a lot." I turn my head so fast that he blinks in surprise before he realizes that I had never known that I'd had nightmares when I'd gotten here.

"You never woke up from them and I only realized that you were having nightmares because of a few details like how you were stiffer, your face was scrunched up, you were shivering slightly, and every once in a while you'd whimper ever so slightly. Those little details told me that you were having a nightmare and so I always just smoothed out your hair or feathers or something until you calmed down. They never lasted long and you never woke up from them."

I frown and try to figure out what he means, but I can't. All I can remember dreaming about is my paradise, never anything else. I didn't dream of it every night, but often enough so that I was always somewhat comforted by the thought of those dreams. I guess that if I had nightmares, I also must have dreamt of my paradise and those dreams blocked out the nightmares. I sigh and push the thoughts aside, looking at Victoria instead.

"You know," Erik whispers into my ear, "she's different than you and the others. Her wings, they're not the same at all. I've never seen wings those colors at all before. It's possible that there are birds with feathers like that, but what if they changed the color of them genetically somehow? It's just an idea, and probably a bad one, but who knows with these scientists?"

"I'm going to guess that there's some sort of bird with those colors just because I don't see how they could change the color. I agree that if anyone could, it would probably be these people, but I don't think they'd try it. I mean, it would be very hard to do it and it could possibly make the avian DNA messed up, failing to make the avian-hybrid they want."

"Good point." He then stays quiet and looks over at her like me, sighing every once and a while.

Slowly, Victoria stirs, as if she can tell we're watching her. Before she opens her eyes, we stop looking at her and start playing a game with our hands that we made up to keep us from getting too bored. What we do is hold out both hands, each with one finger out. One of us goes first, usually the loser of the last game, and we hit one of the fingers of the other person. Whichever hand we choose puts out a second finger. After that the other person goes, hitting a hand of choice, but now they have to choose which hand to use. If they use the one with the two fingers, the other holds out three, or they can use the single finger and make both of us even again. To win, you have to get the other person to have five in both hands.

The trick is to split up the fingers on your hands if one hand is gone. If I have two fingers up on one hand and the other has gotten it's five and is closed, I'll hit my hands together and make it so that each hand has one. I also do it if I have three or four fingers. Three would be two and one while four is two and two. It makes it much more complicated. The advantage is that when you do it, you skip your turn so they have to hit you and can sometimes make it so that you go from two on each hand to making it so that you only have one.

We continue to play this while Victoria wakes herself up almost silently and then watches our game, trying to figure out how to play. I see that Erik is down to one hand with two fingers up and I have two hands each with three. It's his turn, and he does the predictable move of hitting his hands together so that it's one on each hand. I quickly make it so that one of his hands has four and he knocks one of my hands out. I knock out his hand with three with my other one and he can only make my hand four, giving me the win as four plus one is five.

"Not again… I'm supposed to be the smart one, not you," Erik complains, like he does almost every time we play this.

"Yeah well, your brains don't help you very much in this game. I always seem to win. You win maybe once every five games and you almost always start because of it."

"Uh… Sorry to interrupt, but what was that you were doing?" We look over at Victoria while hiding our smiles just enough so that she doesn't know that we had known she would be asking this and had been watching us play.

"Oh, just a game we made up a long time ago. We play it when we've got nothing to do, which is a lot. We need a new game soon since Erik keeps losing at this one and can't seem to get over the fact that I'm better than him at something he thinks he should be better at."

"Oh, shut up, Erika." I smile innocently at him, knowing that he hates it when I'm like this. "Erika, Victoria, you hear that?"

I concentrate for a moment and then roll my eyes. He's hearing the scientists who bring us our food and the trays of the food. This boy can barely stop thinking about food at times. He's now staring at the door, waiting for them to open it and bring us our daily food. I think the only reason we get daily food is Erik because I have a weird feeling that they're training him to go to Europe or Asia for competitions against other enhanced humans when he's a bit older.

The door opens and our food is brought to us, though I notice that the scientist with my food pauses to look between the two cages. I snicker as he brings my food to Erik's cage, which we only call it that since my real one is on the other side of Victoria's, and puts it in at the same time as Erik's is put in here. The three of us wait for them to leave before eating, though we talk while we do.

"Hey, Erika, why did that one scientist look between the two cages?"

My mouth is full so Erik answers for me. "He didn't know which cage she was in so he had to try and find her before he could put the food anywhere, which is stupid since she could just go to the other cage and eat, but whatever."

"Yeah, used to I teleport between cages a lot when I had cages to teleport to. It makes it much more interesting to confuse them. I also just liked being in different cages. I'm still kind of waiting for the scientists to give up on the whole assigned cages thing when I'm in the room because I move people around a lot."

I think about how I used to move Jen and Shawn to each other's cages just so they could be together. Luckily, they weren't as close as they are in my paradise since my paradise is sort of time-less at times. I think I know what might happen in the future and it happens to the people while they still look younger than when it will really happen. They basically slept like Erik and I do, though a lot closer and not because it was easier than sleeping on the floor of the metal cage.

I finish eating just before the others do and then the scientists come back in with fifteen Erasers, making it obvious that it's my turn to get tested. What confuses me is the fact that they get Victoria as well as me, but then I remember how they used to test Alexa and I like this in the beginning. They must want to see how well we can work together. I look over at Victoria and see the fear on her face, so I grab her hand and squeeze it slightly before letting go, telling her that I'm here for her. She smiles slightly in thanks.

We're led into the arena I used to be tested in all the time – the one with the tall grass, the plains, the lake, and the small forest. Memories start to flood over me of all the testing done in here and the little details of the arena. I can remember every inch of the woods, the area around the lake, the almost hidden paths of in the tall grass, and even the different shades of green the plains are. It's all in my head as if I have just been given a map that's 3-D, in color, and from all angles. I gasp and stagger back, barely managing to stay standing.

I feel hands helping me stand and look to my right just enough to see Victoria there and then I concentrate on the images in my head, trying to find the perfect place to go for the huge fight that's sure to follow us coming here. I remember a huge tree, right in the middle of the forest, with a huge hole in it that I used to hide in when I was younger and needed to rest and hide. It isn't on the ground, but up about ten feet so it's perfect for an ambush. I concentrate on the image, but on the ground, and teleport us both there.

Victoria lets go of me and looks from left to right while I stand up straight and walk over to the trunk of the tree, preparing to climb it. Victoria sees what I'm doing, figures out that I must have teleported us, and follows me up the tree onto the branch outside the hollow. We both look in and I smile when I see that the rocks I had left here years ago are still here. When I had perfected my teleportation enough to teleport to the lake where rocks were and back here, I had collected as many rocks as I could and hidden them here, trying to do it as fast as possible.

I take out a handful and motion with my head for Victoria to mimic me. Then I wait for the Erasers to come into the forest, like they usually do. Whenever they're in here with me, they like to check the trees first, knowing that I like it in here, so I had learned to go all over the arena and not just into here. Instead of using my eyes to look for the Erasers, I close them and listen, trying to hear them come into the arena.

Moments after I close my eyes, I hear the arena doors close and I know that they're all in the arena. I hear them walking as quietly as they can, which isn't very quiet, into the woods to search for us. They're slow so I still have a few minutes to demonstrate to Victoria what I'm going to do. I hold one of the rocks in my hand and mimic throwing is down and away from us, in the direction that the Erasers are coming from. Her eyes open a bit in recognition and she nods.

The Erasers are finally in sight and when they get into range of our rock, we start barraging them with them. We hit eyes, arms, legs, stomachs, heads, and a lot of other parts. Whenever we run out, we just grab another handful from the hollow and continue. In the end, they're all very angry and also have a few minor injuries that will make them hurt while fighting us. I jump down, aiming for an Eraser that's almost under us, and land on its head. He falls to the ground, unconscious, and I just punch the next Eraser that gets in front of me.

I hear another Eraser hit the ground hard and know that Victoria must have copied my move. Now we're both punching and kicking the Erasers. The difference is that I'm not getting hit because I had shot my force field up as I'd fallen, but she doesn't have one so she's getting hit – hard. I try to take out the Erasers as fast as I can, realizing that Victoria hasn't fought them very much. I kick in the groin a lot because it's the fastest, if also the cheapest, way to win a fight. Erasers fall quickly under my foot and I'm quickly getting closer to Victoria.

I punch one in the back of the head and with that one down I'm next to Victoria and demonstrating a roundhouse to a spinning back kick. She catches on with me only having to show her twice. I start to jump up and kick Erasers under the chin as well as kicking them in the groin. She seems to be watching me out of the corner of her eye as she fights because she's soon copying me and doing more than one type of kick and soon Erasers are falling before both of us. We're actually headed towards the middle of the arena, where the different areas meet. I can see the lake above the heads of the Erasers when I jump up to kick them, but I can't see the plains or grass yet.

Before I know it, we've got them in the center and we're still kicking their butts. There are maybe twenty more and I still have a ton of energy for my shield. This is actually an easier type of fight compared to what I'd had to do back in the room with the waves of Erasers who hated my guts. I run over to an Eraser and let it try to hit me, but instead it hits my shield and I just grab his fist with my left hand and pull it towards me so that I can punch him in the neck, hard, with my right fist. He steps back and grabs his neck with both hands, as if trying to stop me from attacking it again. Instead, I kick him in the groin and move on to the next Eraser.

I finally step back five Erasers later and watch Victoria take out the second to last one with a wicked kick to the groin. She turns to the last one, the leader, though she doesn't know it, and moves towards him. Instead of waiting for her to finish him, I go and help. Together we succeed in grabbing his hands and forcing them behind his back and kick him in the groin. I let her do the kick because I'll have an easier time holding his arms and I know that she wants to do it. Throwing him to the ground, I walk towards the doors and watch as they open in front of us.

We're led back to our room and they put me in her cage, knowing that I'll just switch cages if I want to. We see Erik looking at us in concern, but I'm not even hurt with a scratch. Sadly, Victoria isn't as lucky because I can see blood trailing down her arms. She's also swaying a bit, telling me that she's got a bad wound somewhere on her, but I can't see it. I lightly grab her arm and then teleport both of us into Erik's cage so that we can both fix her up.

He grabs some of the napkins and a bottle of water from the corner where we save these for when one of us gets hurt. I slowly peel off her shirt so that the fabric rubbing against her wounds won't hurt them, and we're amazed to see that she has a bad gash on her right wing that's slowly covering her wing in blood. I don't even think as I go to grab a handful of napkins and two more water bottles before we begin to work on her.

Between us we clean her cuts and her wing at the same time. I put water onto a napkin and start to clean the feathers while Erik tries to bandage her wing up, both of us ignoring her whimpers of pain even though we can hear them. I don't know how she's still conscious, but she is and now we have to help her before we can think about the pain she's in.

Erik finishes the bandage at the same time I finish getting the blood out of her wings. Her body is already bandaged as best as Erik could make it with one of the ripped of shirts from a fight or metal tearing it. We're both lucky that the scientists want us alive because it means that we get clothes whenever our shirts or pants get ripped up during a test, even a bit ripped. We both sigh and lay back, Victoria's head on my legs and my head on Erik's stomach.

Exhaustion from the healing of Victoria and the battle finally catch up to me and I fall into a dreamless sleep, too tired to even dream of my paradise after all of the healing and the time that it took to do it properly.

* * *

**Well... There's that chapter. Anyway, next chapter will be interesting. You'll like it a lot, though mostly because you get some useful information.**

**Well. Merry Christmas to my fellow Christians! I hope you all have a fantastic holiday and enjoy it. I know it's Christmas Eve, but I had to post today as I'll be even busier tomorrow than I was today (Only reason I'm posting at almost 7pm is I actually got very busy today). So... Don't get used to an early update! It's only because of the holiday! I HOPE YOU ALL TRULY ENOUGH YOUR CHRISTMAS!!! =D**

**Posted: 12/24/09**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Movement on my legs wakes me up, even if it is slight movement. I keep my eyes closed, but I'm awake and letting my senses stretch out. Victoria is waking up slowly on my legs and Erik is awake under my head, even though he's trying to fake being asleep. I hold in a laugh at how hard he's trying to fake it. He should have known that the moment I woke up I'd be able to hear his heart that's racing faster than it should be.

"I know you're awake," I mutter under my breath so quietly that it's like I'm breathing normally. Only Erik would be able to hear me; Victoria wouldn't hear a thing.

"Darn, and I thought I'd be able to hide it from the person who can hear my heart because she's lying on me," he says almost as quietly as I had spoken but slightly louder so that I could hear him since my hearing was just barely weaker than his. "I knew that _you'd_ be able to hear me, Erika, but I'm trying to fake for Victoria."

"Why bother? She'll know we're both awake once she's up properly." It's true. Our breathing is a bit faster than it would be if we were asleep still, and she's about to be awake enough to notice it.

"Because, if we stop talking, then we can quickly make our breathing normal again." He has me there… we can make our breathing seem normal again very fast.

Instead of answering him, I work on calming myself down by thinking of my sister's feather like I do before every fight so that I can calm myself down enough to use my force field. It slows down my breathing and helps me to relax against Erik so that it looks like I'm asleep. I feel Erik doing the same and his slow breathing is actually putting me back to sleep, though I'm keeping myself awake by pure will.

Victoria continues to stir on my legs, but she's moving so little that in my half-awake half-asleep mind, I barely notice her. To me, her movements are just like the breeze on my paradise. I can't feel the pressure she's putting on my legs with her weight, I'm that far from my senses. I can actually feel myself falling asleep in this peaceful atmosphere. Victoria on my legs, moving just enough that I can feel it but so little that it's like air on me; Erik, breathing so calmly and so little that it's relaxing me just as much as the steady beat of his heart in his chest, where my ear is resting.

I suddenly notice that the sounds around me are different. The smells are too, once I breathe in the air. Opening my eyes I find myself in my paradise, sitting at the top of the hill, and my friends are out and flying above me. Erik is lying next to me, watching them all fly above us and smiling slightly. Victoria comes down towards us a bit and gestures for me to join the rest of them in the air.

Smiling, I stand up, unfurling my wings as I do so. I bend my knees to launch myself up, but then I see Erik out of the corner of my eye. Standing up straight again, I turn towards him, wondering what he's going to do while we're all flying. He sits up and turns to face me, feeling my gaze on him. I can tell by the way that his head is cocked to the right that he doesn't understand why I'm still here. I look at him, then at Victoria, and finally into the air before going back to him. His eyes widen slightly as he realizes why I'm hesitating before a smile slowly takes over his face.

He stands up and comes over to me, his eyes never leaving mine even though we know everyone else is watching us. He stops right in front of me, looking down, just slightly, at my face. He slowly reaches out his hands and grabs my wings softly, not putting any pressure on them so that he doesn't harm them, and begins to push them open. I realize that he's telling me tacitly to go flying. He doesn't want me worrying about him at all. Erik can also tell that I don't like this so he continues to open my wings, trying to tell me to go.

I frown and watch as he sighs and slowly moves his hands away from my wings, letting them stay where they are. Instead of his hands going back to his sides, one of them cups my chin and forces me to look into his pleading, brown eyes. Instead of submitting, I shake my head, back up, bend my knees, jump into the air, and unfurl my black-and-white wings. Flapping them slightly, I use the air to help me turn so that I'm coming up behind Erik. Going low, I put my arms under his and lift him up into the air with me as I flap my wings and use the air currents to move up.

Looking up, I see Alexa smiling and giving me her 'I'm proud of you' look. Smiling, I catch up to my family and we all fly towards the mountains in the distance. They're hundreds of feet in the air, covered in pine trees and other plants, and have snow and glaciers on them. The glaciers make up the lower white sections of the mountains, which seem to be a mixture of gray, purple, green, and white, and the snow makes up the top of the mountains as well as making a light covering for the glaciers. Overall, they're beautiful mountains that would be a wonderful place to stay for a while.

We're all diving down and are about to unfurl our wings when I feel something shaking my legs. I close my eyes for a moment and when I open them again, I'm in my cage in Itex, my head still on Erik's chest and Victoria beginning to sit up, so I close them again. Victoria had been moving left and right moments before, as if she was shaking something off, and that had been what woke me up for the second time this morning.

Slowly feeling comes back into my legs where Victoria had been lying to sleep, and I feel like there are needles being poked into them. Trust me, I've had plenty of needles poked into me, so I know what it feels like, and I do not like the feeling. The pain in my legs slowly goes away as blood flows back into them. I keep myself still, trying to keep myself calm so that they don't realize I'm awake again. Just by listening to Erik's heart beating in his chest, I can tell he's still awake.

Victoria tries to stretch her arms above her head, like most do when they first wake up, and I can hear her gasp in pain loudly. Moaning in the continued pain, she slowly lays back down on my legs, trying to fight the pain she's obviously feeling after the beating she took yesterday. I continue to listen as she sits up again, trying not to move very much as she does, and tries to open her wings. She winces in pain as the huge gash on her wing is stretched too much.

Very few people who aren't avian-hybrids realize that our wings are like another part of our bodies, like our arms and legs, and get stiff just as easily. My wings are stiff while I just lay here, listening to Victoria. I can almost feel the pain she feels as I've had gashes and cuts on my wings before. Those cause immense pain because it's hard to keep our wings still, so the wings move and cause more pain.

Erik starts to move under me, causing Victoria to freeze before twisting her body, probably to look at him. Erik starts to sit up, obviously forgetting that I'm still on his chest, and suddenly freezes, his arms holding him up. Sighing, he slowly lowers himself back to the ground, trying not to move me too much. I'm kind of in that same state as before where I'm half-awake, half-asleep, so it seems like I'm sleeping. I can't open my eyes again nor move; all I can do is listen.

"Sorry," Erik whispers as loud as he can without waking me up more. "I can't sit up with her on my chest. She needs to sleep after every fight, no matter how short they are. Her powers exhaust her more than you can imagine."

"Hey, it's fine," Victoria replies just as quietly. "I'm just trying to figure out how much I can move before the pain becomes too much for me." I hear her take in a sharp breath just after she finishes that statement. "I don't think my wing can be moved at all without feeling like there's a huge needle running through it."

"It was really bad last night. It was covering your wings in blood and it took us a while to stop the bleeding enough to bandage it properly. Erika was cleaning your feathers for at least an hour and a half before they were clean. I took just a bit less time than that to stop the bleeding. She finished after I did as I was only trying to stop the bleeding and then bandage you up."

"Oh man, I'm so sorry."

"Victoria, it's fine. We've done that for each other all the time."

"Oh…" A silence comes over the room as Victoria is obviously thinking it over and Erik is running his fingers lightly through my hair. "It's just…" She pauses again. "I guess it's just different for me. Before now, I've never had anyone to help me when I'm hurt from their tests. Even when I was in Candex with Erika's sister and their friends, we could never help one another as we each had a separate cage.

"I've almost always been alone in my room. Whenever I'm with other experiments, they never talk. Finding those other avian-hybrids changed everything for me… I finally had people to talk to. We exchanged information, back rounds, and people who we could trust. They told me stories about both of you, telling me all they knew in case I ever ran into either of you. We never expected it to be both of you in one place.

"I was told of their horrible separation from Erika and how they never found out where she was taken. Alexa was so sad when she had to tell me about it. I couldn't believe that it was the same person who had been laughing with me the day before. It took them at least a couple of weeks before they told me about it, and it took all day. The others told most of the story, Alexa only telling the parts which the others couldn't tell like the testing and a few of the feelings the others didn't feel. It was so sad to hear, especially when it was her turn."

"I know exactly what you mean," Erik whispers so quietly that I can barely hear him. "They were moved to this room just after Erika was taken from them. I felt the grief all of them felt right after it happened. Erika doesn't know of the grief because I can't get enough courage to tell her, it was so great. The sadness in the room for the first few weeks was so obvious that I could barely eat a thing, let alone feel anything other than depressing feelings.

"Just a week after they were moved, Erika came here. She looked so terrible that I could barely believe she was alive. Her skin was almost translucent, her body so thin you could see her ribs, her body shaking, and her eyes haunted. Even with all of that, she never seemed to notice how weak she was. She came in here, was given food that she ate as fast as she could, and then started to talk to me. I don't think she ever truly realized how terrible her body was feeling.

"She was then put back into her intense training, forced to fight Eraser after Eraser. She slowly looked less like a ghost and more like her sister in skin tone, her body filled out until she was a skinny girl, and her eyes, while they were still obviously haunted, seemed to shine more. She slowly seemed to look like her sister, the only differences being the haunted look in her eyes and the obviousness that she's younger. That haunted look is still there, but hidden so that very few can pick it up."

"Why does she look haunted?"

"I wish I knew. She's never spoken of what they did to her for those six months between when she disappeared and when she came here. She's only spoken briefly of the time before she met Alexa and the others. I have a feeling that she's had a very rough time in her life, rougher than most, and those times are interrupted only by the time she's with others like you, her sister, Kyle, Brandon, Shawn, Jen, and me."

"I guess I'm glad that she's not looking like you described her before I met her, but I feel so bad for her. I found out from Brandon that for a year and a half she was stuck in the death room here in Flint." Erik gasps under me at that news. "Yeah, and she had to watch as experiments died all around her. They never lasted more than a month in there he said, so she was watching death almost every day for that time, if not every day."

"That's terrible. I can't believe they'd do that to a one-and-a-half-year-old. That's torture, especially because with her mind, she could understand what's going on. Her maturity is above her age, like her sister's. Erika, her sister, and Brandon are all mature for their age; they seem to be quieter and smarter than the others. Alexa and Brandon are most likely more mature because of their powers; thoughts and emotions are powerful things and growing up with them all around you in a way that you can feel them can change you. Erika might be because of how she was created along with her past experiences; she doesn't realize it yet but she's not just an avian-hybrid but also a slightly enhanced human.

"I heard the scientists talking about her during one f my tests and she's less enhanced than me because of the bird DNA, but she's enhanced. Her senses are actually better than yours or the others. Her mind is made to be quicker on picking things up and better for survival in not only fights but any situation. It's probably the only thing that's kept her alive during her testing."

I lay there, still half-asleep, unable to think properly. Victoria and Erik's words are filling my head, making it impossible to think. What both of them had just said is both so shocking and out of nowhere that I can't comprehend it, no matter how hard I'm trying. All I can take in is the fact that both of them are talking about me in ways that Erik has never spoken to me before.

I slowly calm my racing thoughts down enough to take in the fact that I'm genetically enhanced as well as an avian-hybrid, that Victoria knows about my death room past from Brandon, and that Erik had kept quiet about how I'd originally looked when I first came into this room. While I might have seen a mirror back then, it had always been the one-way mirror between the scientists and my fight room, so I'd always been glaring at it. I'd never really taken the time to try and see how I looked.

The blood pounding into my ears slowly calms down, though I hadn't even noticed it was there in the first place, and let me hear more of their conversation.

"-so hard to see her in pain," Erik was saying. "Even with her force field, she still gets hurt. While she might not admit it or try to show it, I've seen her take napkins from our stash and clean blood off of small cuts from claws that got past her weaker shield near the end of the fight. The blows might have been weakened by her shield, but they still get her and she tries to cover it up.

"Not only is she hurt physically, but emotionally too. I've seen her after some of those fights, fighting her tears back. I don't know why she's upset, but she is and it hurts me to see it. I don't know what I can do to help since she's never told me the reasons behind this behavior." He pauses for a moment, obviously looking up at Victoria, who I could hear was by my side, from where he was laying on the ground. "Don't tell me to ask her because I know that it'll only make it worse as she'll try to hide it more and always refuse to admit she's in pain."

"Erik…" she sighs, obviously about to tell him off. "You don't ask a girl why she's in pain, but you also don't let her go through it alone. The easiest thing to do is let her know you're there for her, we're there for her, and she'll let us know what's wrong eventually. Just give her time, patience, and support and she'll tell."

"Either this is a major girl thing, you just seem to know her, or you got told a bunch of things by Brandon and Alexa on how to deal with people like this. I personally go with the last one."

She laughs at that. "It's true that they told me a few things, but this is just something I can tell about her, as well as most girls in general. Sometimes they just need time, space, and the knowledge that someone's there for them. It's obvious that you'll be there whenever she needs you, or at least as long as you're together."

"You're right about that," he sighs sadly. "I just wish I could say this to her myself. Whenever she's awake, I can never seem to say anything like this to her. When she's asleep, like now, I whisper, almost silently, these things to her, but she's always deeply asleep and can't hear."

"You'll be able to tell her eventually. You know, she'll probably figure it out before you tell her. Besides, I can just tell by looking at the two of you that she'll always be there for you as long as she can. She cares about you and wants you to be safe and happy; you want the same thing for her. You both give one another protection and happiness."

They both fall silent at this. Both are obviously deep in thought, though about different things. Erik about what Victoria just told him as well as the information about my past, and Victoria about what Erik told her about how he had found me when I'd first come along with the details of my time here. As for me, my mind is getting foggy again as sleep is taking over me. The silence, Erik's easy breathing as he sleeps, and just the fact that my mind doesn't wish to think about all of that information just yet allows me to slip back into my paradise.

I fling my wings out, braking as best as I can while holding Erik. A few feet above the ground, I slow down enough that I can put Erik down lightly in the snow before dropping to the ground myself. Looking around I can see pure white snow, soft yet crunchy under my feet, surrounding us for miles on all sides. Pine trees surround this small meadow and their green needles are just barely poking out of the snow, making them green and white. There's a frozen pond to my right, large enough for all of us to slide on, and thick enough to hold all of our weight.

The others land around us, taking in the sight just as I am, their mouths slightly open in the amazement of seeing such a beautiful place. The moment is broken, of course, by Kyle crouching down, taking up a bunch of snow, turning it into a snowball, and hurling it at Victoria's head. It hits her right in the ear and she whirls so fast that I can barely see her turn. Her face is red in anger as she swoops down to her make her own snowball, which she obviously throws at Kyle, though she throws it much lower and it looks like he wet himself because of it. This all eventually leads to a full-out snowball fight with boys against girls and both sides making forts. Soon we're all laughing as we play in the snow.

* * *

**Well... I hope this answered some questions from earlier on in the story. I just kind of wrote this chapter. It wasn't truly planned, but once I started it, I couldn't stop. Sort of like the next chapter, which is the effects of the conversation in a way. Just remember, Erika wasn't supposed to hear this. If you're wondering how it's possible... have you ever been in a state of some sort where you feel like you're asleep, but you can hear everything around you and can feel? If you haven't, I have before and it's very different.**

**Anyway, right behind this page of , I have chapter 13 open and being edited. It's a bit... different, but it makes sense in a weird way. No one's read it but me (which is killing Erika back in Florida since I'm in Pennsylvania and she can't get it) so I don't know how much sense it makes to anyone but me. Either way, I'm going to finish editing it once I post this, and then write as my friends and parents are all watching Star Trek in the other room and I just want to write for a while.**

**Sorry for the longish note. Either way, can you please review and let me know what you think?**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED YOUR PAST YEAR AND THAT THE NEXT ONE IS JUST AS GOOD, IF NOT BETTER! HAVE AN AWESOME NEW YEAR!!!**

**Post: 1/1/10 **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

I wake up slowly, my senses dull from sleepiness. I move my head to the right, putting my ear on Erika's chest, as I've done many times before, as my brain wakes up. My senses are working faster than my brain and are now working properly, so I can hear Victoria to my left while I'm still on Erik; both are awake.

Suddenly, my memories take over my mind in a rush, reminding me of their conversation earlier this morning and how the main topic had been me. The sudden surge of memories has me sitting up in a flash and moving to the side of the cage, surprising both Victoria and Erik along with myself. I shake my head in confusion, confusing Erik even more as he sits up and turns so that he can see both Victoria and me.

I know that Erik's going to ask what's wrong, his face and my two years of living with him make it obvious, but I don't have an answer for that question. I have no idea why I reacted like that. It could have been the memories themselves. It could have been the suddenness of my remembering. It could have also been the fact that I was sitting right by the people that had said those things about me. In fact, it could have been some of those things, all of those things, or even none of those things. I really have no idea which it is, which will make it harder to answer his question.

"What's wrong, Erika?" he asks very predictably, his face and eyes showing his worry so evidently that you'd have to be blind not to see it. My reply is just a shake of my head, which doesn't please him at all. "Erika, something's obviously wrong; you've never jumped up that fast – especially not when you've just woken up."

"I don't know, Erik," I reply, still shaking my head to emphasize my confusion. "I really don't know."

"What happened when you woke up?" Victoria asks, moving for the first time since I had woken up. She's also asking the one question I can probably answer.

"I - I had a sudden surge of memories that surprised me," I admit slowly while looking at my knees, not really wanting to tell them I had heard their entire conversation earlier as I was supposed to be deeply asleep. My hesitation is obvious to them and I can just feel the confusion rolling off of them, though I'm too afraid to look up at them.

"Surge of memories…" Victoria repeats slowly, obviously thinking even though she's still confused about my hesitation. She suddenly gasps, or at least suddenly to me as I can't see her expression, and moves over towards me. When she's in front of me, she puts her hand under my chin, pushing it up so that I have to look at her in the eyes even though I'm trying to avert my gaze. "You didn't…" The look in my eyes says it all and she closes her own eyes as her hand falls from my chin.

"What?" Erik asks as he looks form Victoria to me and back. "What's going on?!" he demands, not liking being in the dark.

I shake my head silently to tell him that I don't want to answer, but Victoria speaks instead, "It's not for me to tell. If you don't figure it out for yourself, only Erika can tell you."

Erik's silent for a little before he asks uncertainly, "Erika…?" I look him in the eyes, guilt obvious in them and shocking Erik. "What's –" sudden realization flashes in his eyes. "You heard." It's a statement, not a question. I can only nod in response. "How much?" I shake my head, unable to talk anymore as tears fill my eyes at my memories.

Erik says no more, instead coming over to me and putting a hand on my shoulder. Tears flow freely down my cheeks as memories flow through my mind: Experiments dying all around me, one by one, as I was forced to watch; the tests I was put through before leaving the death room; meeting Alexa and the others; the tests I went through with Alexa at my side; the faces of everyone in the room when I got back from testing and they had heard I was to be moved; the nightmare I had as I was moved from my friends; my six months in the torture room; my meeting Erik; my fights against waves of Erasers; my meeting Victoria; the memories of the conversation earlier. All were overflowing my mind all at once, making it impossible for me to stop crying.

Erik tries to pull me to him, but I pull away, preferring to put my eyes to my knees, which I'm hugging to my body, and cry. I hear him sigh sadly before putting his hand on my back and letting me cry myself out. I'm glad he realizes that's all I want to do because I don't want him to think that it's him that's causing this reaction.

"Any idea what's making her cry?" Erik whispers to Victoria, though I can still hear it.

"I can't be certain, but I have a few guesses…" she admits slowly. "She could be thinking about our conversation earlier. She could also be having sudden memory flashes like she said before; we both know how hard that would be on her. She might also be thinking about her sister and the others. In fact, it could be a mixture of those, or it could be something else entirely. We can't know unless she tells us."

"A mix," I manage to get though my tears, which are making my eyes blurry and my voice sound strangled.

I hear Erik open his mouth to reply when the door slides open and someone walks in, alone. Erik begins to growl at the newcomer, making me wipe my eyes so that I can see which scientist it is. I really wish I hadn't cleared my vision. The scientist looking at the three of us is my father, and he's smirking right down at me. I feel Erik's growl right through his hand, which is still on my back, for a moment before I can't tell if the feeling is from his growl or my own. Victoria is obviously confused, as she doesn't know this is my father, but she glares at him anyway, knowing that Erik and I wouldn't be reacting like this if he wasn't an evil scientist.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? My younger daughter is crying over nothing. We can't have that, now can we?" His tone is one of disgust, amusement, and glee all merged into one – it's disgusting to hear, especially from him.

"Leave her alone!" Erik growls at him, his anger evident in his expression, eyes, and voice. I start to say something to stop him, but he cuts me off, "No Erika! He's tortured you too much in your life; I won't let him do any more."

"Awe, look at this, little Erika's gotten herself a little protector. Well boy, listen to me and listen carefully because I'm not telling you this again. She's my daughter as well as an experiment, I'm an Itex employee, and I can do anything I want to her and any experiment I want. You'd better keep out of this if you know what's good for you, her, and your new friend here. Now that I think about it, you'd better be careful or I'll send orders for what people should do to the other five we used to have here. You know which five I mean."

All three of us are stunned. Not only did he just threaten us, but my sister and the others too. My tears are gone; I'm that stunned. I can feel Erik starting to shake through the hand on my back, but I reach back with my left hand and grab his arm, which effectively calms down.

My father doesn't miss the by-play as his eyes are looking between us calculatingly. He looks surprised, confused, amazed, and thoughtful all at once as he looks between us. The look is confusing me, but out of the corner of my eyes, I can see Victoria also looking at his face, but she doesn't look confused. She looks like she's agreeing with whatever thought is causing the look. That just confuses me even more, but I can't ask anything because my evil father is in the room, so I stay silent.

"Well…" my father says slowly, "this is an interesting and unexpected development… I guess it's best if I leave this be and see where it goes in the future. You've been spared today, you three. I've got to discuss this with the others. Expect to see me back within the week, Erika."

With that, he turns around on his heel and exits the room, leaving three shocked and confused experiments in his wake. Said three experiments turn to face each other once the door is shut. Victoria is purely shocked, not a trace of surprise or confusion on her face. Erik is just as shocked as Victoria, slightly confused, but he's mostly worried, though about what I have no idea. I'm a bit shocked, but mostly I'm confused.

"What was that about?" I ask, breaking the silence that's starting to creep me out. Victoria's face says she knows but really doesn't want to tell. Erik's face… he looks like he has a pretty good guess, but he's hoping it isn't that; he can tell it's his guess but wishes it wasn't that. Sighing, I ask the person more likely to tell me what's going on, "Victoria?" She looks at Erik, seems to see something in his eyes that are looking right at her, looks at me as I silently beg her to stop my confusion, and she sighs.

"You're both making this so dang hard! Erika, you're begging me to tell you while Erik here is begging me not to. I don't know what to do, so I say that Erik tells Erika what's going on." She then crosses her arms over her chest and gives Erik a hard look. "If you don't, Erik, I'll have her teleport us and tell her myself. Either way, she'll be told. You might as well tell her yourself because it'd be better that way."

Erik sighs, shaking his head as he does, though I can't tell if it's in defeat or his telling us he won't tell me himself. He then looks up at me, his face looking lost, as if he doesn't know which way to go. He turns away quickly and shakes his head at Victoria. Victoria sighs as if she had seen this coming but had been hoping to stop it.

Victoria moves over to me until she's close enough to grab my arm with her left hand. She uses her right hand to point to the cage the farthest away from this one. I look at it and concentrate on it until I teleport us there. She lets go of my arm once we're there and then tries to make herself comfortable, which is impossible in a cage. I lean against one of the bars and face her, waiting.

She sighs and starts. "You felt what happened before, right?"

"You mean how I grabbed Erik's arm and he calmed down?" I ask, not completely sure if that's what this is about or not.

"Yeah, that. Well, you couldn't see this, but I had grabbed his other arm the moment he has started to growl, but he didn't do a thing except continue…" She takes a breath and looks over at Erik in the other cage where he's looking at us. "I obviously know _why_ he was growling at the scientist now, but I didn't then. I just thought he was growling at a random scientist…

"I now know he was growling at your father. Alexa told me that he told her and the others that he had had you moved to a new room on purpose. He also made their testing a lot worse before they left this place. By the time I met them, they all hated him and wanted to be able to kill him, though that was only because they had their emotions running high from telling me about you and how you had been forced away from them. They wouldn't actually kill him, but they wouldn't regret his death, at least.

"Either way, I tried to make him relax, but it didn't work at all. Once you started to growl, I realized he wasn't just being rude, but I still tried to calm him down. One the talking was done and he had threatened us, I felt Erik shaking through my hand on his arm. I let go and tried to grab it again, hoping that the renewed touch would stop him, but before I could touch him again, you started to reach back and I stopped moving.

"You grabbed his arm and he stopped so suddenly that it shocked me. He relaxed visibly by your one touch. You did what I couldn't; you relaxed Erik just by touching his arm. Only you could have done that. I don't think that if anyone else did it, he would have stopped. I'm not sure what did it, but you did something to him to make him stop."

"Victoria…" I pause, not knowing what I want to say. I didn't even know that she had been trying to calm him down. All I had known was that Erik was shaking in a way that said he was going to try to attack the cage until he got out of it and attack my father. I had just naturally reached back and grabbed his arm, not really thinking about what I was doing as I did it.

"I just… did it. I wasn't even thinking as I did it. I just knew that he had to calm down and he did. I'm not sure why he did calm down, or why I even reached back; it just happened."

"I know, Erika, I know," she says quietly. "That's why I'm talking to you… I can see why it happened, but neither of you can. At least not yet you can't. Maybe in ten years you'll realize it, if you're still here together. For now, we're all too young to really care. In truth, the only reason I notice is probably because the Itex I was at before Candex was one where they gave certain experiments novels to read so that we could 'expand our knowledge of the outside world' as they would say.

"I'm one of the few experiments that remembers basically every book I read. My memory is really strong. It's photographic really, or that's what the scientists said about it. I might not be able to do math well, but I can recite the textbooks word-perfect on my first try and after only reading the book once.

"Either way, I know what's happening, but I'm not going to say. I can tell that you'll both figure it out eventually. I also know that you'll be separated before it happens. They don't like keeping groups together too long a lot of the time. There are a few groups, like those no-names in California and of course, our group of five friends. Either way, you'll both figure it out eventually."

I stare at Victoria, not having any idea what to say or think. Her words have informed me, yet confused me at the same time. In truth, this has confused me more than anything else. I thought she was supposed to explain it, but instead she told me part of it and then confused me a lot more with other information.

"I'm sorry if I just confused you more, but I can't tell you everything," she says, sounding like she means what she says. "You both need to figure this out for yourselves. Either way, I told you why he let us off the hook for the day. He saw that only you could calm Erik down and needs to talk it over with the others so that they can decide what to do about it. Hopefully they decide to see where it goes and leave both of you here, but the other option is to move one or both of you away form each other and not let it grow."

"I agree, let's hope for the one where we all stay here," I say, really not liking the other option.

"You really hate the other option, obviously," Victoria laughs while looking between Erik and me. "Anyway, ready to go back to the other cage?" I nod and she grabs onto my arm so I can teleport us back.

"What did you two say?" Erik asks the moment we get back. It's a bit of a surprise to me because I had expected him to hear what we had said. After a moment of thought I realized that the two of us had been quiet as well as on the other side of the slightly large room, making it almost impossible to be heard from here.

"Nothing you wouldn't have said, Erik," Victoria assures him, though it's obvious he isn't assured at all.

I put my left hand on my chin and rub the left side of it with my thumb as I look back and forth between Victoria and Erik. I'm trying to decide if I should try to relax him again like I had earlier, or if I should just let Victoria calm him down. Victoria catches the movement and uncertainty in me, so she looks at me and nods as if telling me to try relaxing him. Sighing mentally, I move over to Erik and put my hand on his arm, making him look up at me even as he relaxes slightly under my touch.

"All she told me was that I can relax you while she can't; nothing more than that," I mutter under my breath, knowing that he'll hear me. He sighs audibly and turns to Victoria, relief covering his features. She nods at him and then smiles at me, knowing that I had calmed him down.

Even though we all know that my father will be back within the week, even though I'm more confused now than I had been earlier, and even though all of us are all a bit worried as every experiment in Itex is, we're all able to relax because of the fact that we've all got each other. Knowing someone is the only way to survive in this place because if you don't, you lose yourself and just want to die.

Having people that I know care about me helps me in the same way my paradise does. My paradise is my escape from the terrible world I live in while knowing I have people to talk to, help, and have help me makes it possible to keep my mind. That's something most experiments don't have, and it makes it possible to survive this place.

I lean back against one of the bars of the cage, preparing to talk with my friends for the rest of the day.

* * *

**For those of you wishing to hurt me, go ahead, but a wounded author can't write. ;) Anyway, sorry about the delay. I was planning on yesterday because Saturday I forgot until too late, but I had a brunch and then I was grading essays for my mom (got $20). Anyway, sorry again.**

**Certain details in this chapter may have been confusing. Erika (best friend, not character) was confused after she read it until I told her it from my point of view, so I'm going to tell you all my point of view! Most of you may not have noticed, but Erika hasn't really reflected on her past memories or the emotions that go with them. My kind of unsaid reasoning behind it was that Erika blocked them from her mind so that she didn't have to relive those times every day. This chapter shows how that conversation last chapter broke those barriers and gave her a sudden flow of emotions and memories. If you've never relieved a memory that will be with you your entire life because it was terrible, I can personally tell you that it can bring some of the oddest emotions. I rarely cry, not even after an incredibly sad movie or story, yet my worst memory makes tears come to my own eyes. That's what happened with Erika. She had happy memories, but her sad ones were worse than those ones.**

**Sorry, but one more thing in this long Author's Note... A question for anyone willing to review: Should Victoria have powers? If so, give me some unique powers. (You'll notice that the only power from any of JP's books is the mind reading, and that's for another reason.) I've truly never thought about it, so I'd like your opinions.**

**Please read and review.**

**Posted: 1/11/10**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Five Days Later**

"-and they gave us a ton of books to read, and not all of them were for learning like we'd be reading in a school," Victoria says, telling Erik and me about her past experiences in Itex. "Some of the books were novels to read for fun. They gave us books from romances to adventure to science fiction and many more types. All they told us to do was read and learn. It was the most fun I've had in Itex, which is saying something since we were forced not to talk or move expect to turn pages.

"The books were all like other worlds for us to hide in. None of them were our own worlds, so we didn't have to think about the testing we'd be put through later on. We could imagine we were in a world connected to the world but hidden, on another planet, or even another time. We could think we were spies, knights, or warriors. Truthfully, we could be normal kids, in some books, with normal lives and everything. They were amazing."

"That sounds amazing, Victoria," I say, my mind full of the possibilities that one piece of her past is giving me. "I wish the Flint branch could be like the one in Oregon. That one sounds so much better than here…"

"Yeah, it does," Erik says in agreement.

"It was different," Victoria admits. "The difference is that we could never talk there. We were always sleeping, eating, reading, filling out tests on the books, or going through other tests. We never made friends, never even got to talk among ourselves. The only people who we ever spoke to were the scientists. Here, we might not have the books, but we can at least talk and have a friend or two for a little."

"True," I say while nodding. "So, who's next?"

"I believe you are, Erika," Erik says, though we all know it's his turn.

"Yeah right, Erik. We all know it's your turn. I went before Victoria."

"I don't have any interesting stories!" he protests. "You both have had interesting experiences once and a while here in Itex, but I never have."

I open my mouth to retort when Victoria interferes, "Um… guys, someone's coming."

Erik and I freeze, our normal argument forgotten, as we turn towards the door and listen carefully. I can hear footsteps that, if I had been listening before, are quite audible and I should have noticed them before. _I guess it's a good thing we have Victoria here to not only mediate our fights, but to also keep an ear out when we aren't listening,_ I think while trying to make my muscles relax.

The door opens and the man that we've known would be coming but have been hoping would walks in. My father.

He's smirking yet again as he walks right up to our cage and looks down inside of it at our faces. He looks at each one of us in turn, finishing with me. His brown eyes, the exact same shade as my own, stare right into my own eyes for a long moment before he suddenly moves his eyes down to look at my hand, which is inches from Erik's.

We had just been sitting near each other as we told stories, but once and a while he'd rub his fingers over the back of my hand when it was my turn. He just sort of knew when the memories of my sister were getting to be too much and did that to try and calm me down; it worked every time. As it had been Victoria's turn just before my father came in, we hadn't even been thinking about our hands anymore.

"Well," my father says, startling me out of my thoughts, "I guess you've stopped your _random_ crying spree. I wonder why it had even started. Could it have been sad little memories about your older sister?" His voice is taunting me and making it hard not to growl, shake, or attack the cage. "What, did I hit a nerve?" My hands are now fists as I try to contain my rage. "Well good," he spits out angrily, "because that's exactly what I wanted to do."

"Shut up!" I yell at him, unable to contain my anger any longer. "Just shut up! I'm sick and tired of you _and_ how you go after my friends and sister! Just leave us alone!" I'm breathing heavily in my rage and it's obvious that my _father_ is enjoying this.

"I'm so sorry, Erika, but I can't just leave you all alone. Where's the fun in that? Huh? Besides, I'm not allowed to just leave you without testing or food and water; though I so wish I could leave you without the food and water. It would make this so much easier to deal with you if you could be starved again."

My anger is gone completely now, which would normally be a good thing except for the fact that the only reason it's gone is that fear is in its place. Twice in my life I've been basically starved. The first time was in the Death Room and the second in the Torture Room. Both times I came out looking sickly; both time I came out almost dead. I was lucky to survive those times and it rook me forever to recover from them.

"I see I've hit another nerve. Scared, Erika? Are you so scared that you'd actually follow orders from now on?"

I glare at him while I reply, "No. You can't scare me into being the perfect little experiment you want because I've survived starvation twice in my life and I'll do it again if I have to." I hear Victoria and Erik's almost silent intake of breath at the statement that I've been starved twice, but ignore it completely. "Besides, you said it yourself that you can't do that to me. Even if you did, and I died, you'd have people who care about me to deal with still."

"If the threat of starvation won't make you into a soulless experiment, then maybe being tied up in chains and thrown into a room full of Erasers for two days non-stop will." He gestures to the open door and a group of Erasers come in, surround the door, and pull me out of the cage after my father opens in. "Come on, time for your punishment for your words."

"Erika!" Erik yells from behind us as I'm being dragged out of the room. My father turns back to face him and the Erasers stop so I can hear the conversation, even if I can't see my two friends.

"Ah yes, experiment 984. Don't worry about Erika, you'll see her soon enough. Two days. I'll make sure someone comes in and keeps you two busy tomorrow so that you don't spend the entire two days doing nothing while your friend here is trying to defend herself." I can just picture their faces as they hear the last part of that sentence; Erik furious and scared at the same time while Victoria is just sad and worried.

"Erika," Victoria says in her normal voice, "we'll be waiting. Try your best, but don't give in until the very end." I nod even though I can't see her.

"Let's go, girl," my father says.

He walks out the door, the Erasers following him and dragging me along. They take me to a white room without anything in it but four cameras, one in each corner of the ceiling. Once there, more erasers come in, one with a pile of chains, and chain me up. My legs are chained so much that I can only bend them up to my stomach. My arms are chained to my side in a way that they can't move and they block my hips so that they can't move either. The only part of my body without chains is my head.

"Very well done," my father tells the Erasers, who take in the praise with smiles that show all of their pointed teeth. "You shall all be the first group to attack her. Just one last thing to do." He walks up to me, takes out a syringe full of some sort of liquid, finds the vein in my neck, and inserts the liquid.

"There, now she can't use her force field nor can she teleport in this room. It should last for three days, so the two days will be safe. Please, enjoy yourselves, but you can't kill her." With that, he walks out of the room and I can hear it locking from my position on the middle of floor.

The Erasers all smile at me with predator smiles as they slowly move towards me. I try to make a force field, but the shot had been made well and I couldn't use my power. The Erasers get to me and start to kick me, knocking the air out of me in seconds. Once that's done and they can hear me gasping for breath, they start to use their claws to put small cuts into my body by pulling them between the chains.

The moment they start to claw me, I bend my knees to my chest and tuck my head in. this is the best I can do to attempt to protect myself. It doesn't help much, but now they can't attack my chest… or the organs there.

One puts a gash on my cheek and blood is trailing down my face slowly. Others get the idea and the next thing I realize, I have a broken nose and my eyes are swollen shut. I get a hit to the back of my head and am knocked unconscious.

After that, everything just seems to fit together and time has no meaning. Certain details enter my mind as I'm being attacked non-stop. Whenever I faint or am knocked unconscious, one of the Erasers dumps a bucket of ice water over my head so that I have to feel every attack. Every six hours, or so a scientist said as I can't keep track of time, the group of Erasers attacking me changes. My body went numb after the second group so that the pain I should normally be feeling isn't felt, though I'll be feeling it later on when this is all over.

The only other thing that has entered my mind this entire time is the fact that every once in a while, a scientist or two enters the room and watches. My father is in here at least twice per every group of Erasers, enjoying the show and edging the Erasers on even more.

Suddenly, the blows stop for the first time in I don't know how long. Almost all of the Erasers leave the room and the scientist in the room, who I know is my father, walks towards me. I can almost hear his smirk, which is most likely on his face. I turn my head towards him, but I can't see him as my eyes are still swollen. I hear him stop right next to me, and then I feel a slight pain in my side that's mostly numbed by the pain of my other wounds.

"Well," he starts, his voice making it obvious that he's smirking down at me, "I guess we'd better let you get back to your worried friends. They can see how you look and all that good stuff while you think about how you're going to behave with Itexicon, and me in particular. Take her away."

The last part is obviously for the Erasers as the next thing I know, I'm being lifted up and carried out of the room roughly. They seem to enjoy banging my legs against the wall, which hurts even more as it's pressing the chains that are still on my body into my skin. It's amazing to be feeling pain again as it means that my body is losing its numbness, which isn't a good thing as I know that in a few minutes I'll be screaming from the pain.

I hear a door opening, two gasps that are more like screams that are covered up, and then a cage opening. I'm dumped onto the floor inside of the cage, which wracks my already hurt body and makes it so that I have to bite on my lip to hold in a scream of pain. The Erasers lock the cage and leave the room before I feel light touches on my body that I know belong to Erik and Victoria.

"Erika…?" Victoria asks hesitantly, as if unsure if she should even be talking. I turn my head towards her so that she knows I can hear her. "Erika, how could they do this to you?" I shake my head just enough for them to see. "Well, Erik's unlocking the chains with the key the Erasers left in the cage. Then we'll try to patch you up. Hopefully you'll fall asleep and won't feel a thing."

"Won't sleep," I manage to mutter through the pain that's slowly building in my body. "Pain too much. Going to faint…"

They don't reply because they know what I managed to say is true. They know that the pain will be too much for me shortly, making it so that the only way to not feel the pain is to be out cold. We all know it, even if they wish I could just sleep instead of dealing with the building pain until I'm unconscious.

My body is slowly throbbing from the pain. My legs have the most feeling, and as the chains come off, they feel as if I have every claw still in their cuts. My back feels like it has heat running down it. My wings are missing over half of their feathers, and they feel as if they're on fire the pain is so bad. My arms feel like the chains are still on them even though they're off now. My face has blood trailing down it like tears and I can feel the dried blood cracking every time I move my face muscles even slightly. My chest got off the easiest and just has a few cuts, which I'm used to.

I suddenly feel water on my legs, which makes me wake up because I'm remembering the ice water that was thrown on me every time they lost me. The water is gone when my friends see me stiffen from its touch.

"What did they do to her?" Erik asks in a scared voice. "She stiffens at the touch of water. What could have caused that?"

"Erik… look at her hair and you tell me." The mention of my hair makes my senses go stronger up there until I realize what Victoria meant; my hair is still damp form having the ice water dumped on it.

"You don't think they threw water on her?"

"Erik… I'm sorry to say this, but I think they used it to keep her conscious so that she felt every bit of the pain she was dealt. It wouldn't surprise me if it was ice and they did it for a second reason. I think they did it to not only keep her aware but to also scare her so that she'd react exactly like this when she got back from the torture and we tried to help her." Victoria's voice gives away that she's crying.

"Victoria… Erik…" I mutter, barely moving my lips so that I don't feel much pain. "Do it. Don't pay… attention… to my… movements…" I'm gasping for breath by the time I've got that one message out.

"No Erika, we can't see you in pain," Erik says while obviously crying as well. "This water is bringing back the memories and it's hurting you."

"Do… it…" I say just before the pain becomes too much and I let out an involuntary scream of pain.

"Erik, you heard her, do it!" Victoria cries out. "She wants us to help her, even if it hurts her. Just do it!"

The touch of water is on my leg again, but this time I know it's coming and try to stop my reaction to it before they notice it. I think they saw the reaction, but they realized I'm trying to fight it because they don't say anything. Another spot of water is added to my other leg and both of them are trying to clean my wounds softly so that they don't hurt me more than they have to.

Pain laces up my legs slowly, and I scream quietly again. I slowly start to feel more pain, but this time I try to ignore it. Soon though, the pain becomes too much, I scream once more, and then all I see is black.

I wake up again and they're on my arms now, going a bit harder than earlier because they're just trying to get it done. The pain takes over me again and I fall unconscious again. The next time I wake up, they're working on my face. I can tell my nose is set into the proper place and I'm guessing that's what woke me up because one of them is cleaning my nose now.

This time I let the pain overcome me, but I don't see black again. This time, I'm just sitting it out until they're done. I feel the two sets of hands cleaning me and I think it's Victoria cleaning my nose because a slightly familiar style of cleaning is working on my cheek, and I only know how Erik does this sort of thing. They work their ways around my face until I hear them sit back with sighs of relief.

"Thank… you…" I mutter through lips that are now able to open a little easier as they aren't caked in blood.

"Oh my gosh, Erika, you're awake," Erik says in surprise as I hear him moving towards me again. "When did you regain consciousness?"

"Never mind that, Erika," Victoria says, obviously not wanting me to talk right now. "I think you'd better know how badly you're hurt as it's obvious you didn't feel the pain very much during those two days." She takes a deep breath, which tells me it isn't good. "You have your right leg broken twice, your other leg is fractured, you right arm was dislocated at the shoulder and the wrist broken, and the other arm is broken right below the elbow. I think you realized your nose was broken as well.

"We set everything and put extra napkins around the breaks, but unless we get real bandages in here, they might not set right. We're both really worried about it." I can hear the worry in her voice as she says all of this, so it's obviously true. "Otherwise, you only have cuts, though some are deep, and bruises. I think you know how your wings are hurt because when I hurt them, I just know."

She pauses before saying anything else. "Erik, don't give me that look. You don't have wings like us, so you wouldn't understand how easily we feel what's wrong with them. Maybe when Erika's up to moving again, we'll tell you properly."

"Victoria, I can't believe –" Erik stops talking, though I don't know why until I hear the door opening and someone walking towards us. "Erika, it's another scientist, but not your father," Erik whispers to me just loud enough for me to hear.

"I have bandages for her," the man says. "Can you bring her to the door of the cage so that I can put them on her? Please, don't try to get out or I'll have to bring Erasers in here." I guess my friends nodded to both because he says, "Thanks. Just bring her over here and the three of us can try to cover her up."

Victoria and Erik slowly and carefully lift me up and bring me to the cage, which I hear being unlocked and opened. They place me on the ground slowly, trying not to move me too much. Then I hear a box being opened and items being passed to the two of them from the scientist.

"Erika, we're just going to wrap your breaks up with real bandages and cover the cuts up too," the scientist says in a kind voice. "We have to use an antibacterial spray to clean them though, and it'll sting in the cuts. I don't think any of us want to hurt you, but we have to so that we can be sure you heal properly." He pauses. "Okay you two, just spray her cuts and then put the bandages on. We'll do that first and then deal with the breaks."

I hear a spray and then feel sudden stinging all over my body. My cuts feel like they're on fire, but then bandages are put over the stinging areas and the stinging calms down until it's gone. They do this over and over. While they do it, the scientist talks quietly to us, telling us a few things.

"We have mikes in here, but they're almost always off. We mostly just want the pictures from the hidden cameras, so we can talk freely. I know you don't expect scientists here to be like this, but all of us were forced to watch the tapes of the room Erika here was in; almost all of us were disgusted by the scene.

"I think you'll find that your father won't have power over you or most of the experiments for much longer. What he did isn't something he was supposed to do. The problem is that only he had the key to the room, so no one could stop it. As far as I know, he's in a meeting with the boss of this branch. I was told to come in here and help you two fix her up.

"You two did a good job with what you had. Most of us have been amazed by how you well you and Erika heal each other, Erik. Either way, we all knew that Erika here would need real supplies to heal her. We can't give her casts, sadly, because we don't have any of the supplies for them here. You two will have to stop her from moving until her body is healed. It might only be a month or two with her healing abilities as an avian hybrid, but it will still take a while with how badly she got beat up and how much she has to heal."

"Wait," Victoria says, "what about our testing? If we're being tested, we can't help her. Trust me, I might have only just met her, but I can tell that if someone isn't with her at all times, she won't sit still. She might not sit still even then."

"Hey!" I manage to complain, even with the pain from my body. Everyone laughs at that.

"Anyway, all of us scientists decided that we'd help you three out for a while. Erika won't be tested on again until she's completely healed, and that included her wings… Victoria, you and Erik will be tested one at a time so that one of you is always with her and we won't even test you as often as before. We'll do this for three months while she heals. If Erika isn't healed by then, we'll keep going until she's done.

"Once she's healed, we'll figure out what we're going to do because up until now, her father has been in charge of her and we had no idea what he was doing with her."

"Why are you talking about me as if I'm not here?" I ask quietly. Victoria and Erik start to laugh, but it's obvious the scientist didn't hear me, so Victoria tells him what I said between her laughs.

"Sorry about that Erika. I just sort of forgot you were here. You heard what I said though, so it should be alright." I nod in response. "Well, how about we get her breaks wrapped up and then I can leave you three in peace."

My breaks are quickly and quietly bandaged up tightly, which hurts a lot but I'm not saying anything. Once they're done, the scientist leaves, saying that he'll send someone in with food for us later. Once he's gone, I sigh in relief and feel my eyes drifting shut. Erik comes over and puts my head in his lap slowly just as I fall asleep.

In my paradise, we're all lying down on the hill. My body isn't hurt in any way, and I'm just lying down with Erik to my right and Alexa to my left. Brandon is next to Alexa while Victoria is next to Erik. Kyle is oddly enough on the other side of Victoria while Shawn and Jen are above Erik and me. We're all just looking up at the clouds and enjoying the heat of the day as well as being with our friends.

* * *

***Sighs* Before you all review and complain horribly that this was very harsh, know that I KNOW that it's harsh. It's just that while this might not be real life, it's still life and in life bad things happen before good things and good things before bad. This story is in for some twists and turns, and you can say this was another catalyst for it. The last thing I have to say on the topic is this: I kept it as general as I could because I do not want too much detail, so I did try to keep it from being too graphic. I hope I succeeded.**

**The next chapter will be nicer, I promise. It takes place six months from now and shows how this was a catalyst for change. I've got a lot of it hand-written, some typed, and ideas in my head. I'll be writing for a while today and probably a lot over the next two days. My semester just ended, so we got a really long weekend. I get new classes, though, so I might be a bit busy this week.**

**I'm sorry if there are any spelling and grammar mistakes. I've been very busy for the past couple of weeks since I got home and have had no time to edit this. While in PA, I wrote this, so I didn't have time to edit it then. My friends kept dragging me off to do things.**

**I've put a poll up on my profile, though it might not be up for a little. It's a blind poll as I want everyone's honest opinion.** **Please vote on it as it has to do with my next story. (Layman, there's a message in the poll for you there!) If you're looking at this without an account, please give me a review telling me both what you think of this story and your answer to the review.**

**Thank you all for the ideas for Victoria's power! I might put up a poll to get everyone's opinions on which powers should go to her. I have one which WILL go to her, but I'm undecided on the others. I'm also still taking ideas.**

**Sorry for the long AN. Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter AND the story in general!**

**Posted: 11/17/10**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Six Months Later**

Victoria snaps out her wings, jumps into the air, and starts to fly over the arena, though she stays above the forest. Erik takes a pile of rocks and prepares to throw them will all his might. I teleport myself to my new favorite tree and get ready to jump down onto an Eraser. We're all ready and waiting for the mini-army to come our way like we have twice already this week.

Sometimes we change up this pattern. I'd be either flying up above or throwing, Victoria would be throwing or ready to jump down, and Erik would be waiting for them or ready to jump down. We've been doing this for a month already, and enjoying every second of it. It's so different compared to what we usually have to do that it's fun.

Ever since I got almost killed by the Erasers and my father, the scientists have been nice to us. Oh, they've been testing us, but they're doing us all together or having Victoria and me together. It took four and a half months for me to be completely better physically. My wings took forever to get new feathers and my bones took three months each as they were broken and then attacked even more, leaving a lot of damage to fix. I'm lucky the scientists decided to help because otherwise, I wouldn't be the same anymore.

Looking out from my vantage point at the top of my tree, I see Victoria pointing down just enough to be visible, but not enough to worry anyone not looking for that signal. I take the only rock I have with me and hit the trunk of the tree with it, letting Erik know that Victoria gave me the signal and to draw the Erasers to me. This is a system we worked out after the first few fights; we first tried to think of three different ways to attack and then a way to signal each other – this was the answer.

I hear the Erasers just slightly, telling me that they're getting closer. A small smile finds its way to my face for just a moment before I start to climb down the tree a bit so that I'm at a distance that I can really jump down from. I quickly find the perfect set of branches to climb down with and do it quickly. One of the reasons I'm usually the one in the trees is the fact that I can not only teleport up them, but I can also climb them the quickest, yet I still keep myself safe the whole time.

Once I've climbed down a third of the tree, I find the strongest branch and sit down for a moment to get my bearings. Listening closely, I can hear the Erasers and they're close. In fact, they're close enough that I can see the first few. I take the rock from before and hit the trunk of the tree three times, telling both Victoria and Erik that I've spotted them and that the rock-thrower needs to be ready to throw as soon as I do the next signal.

The Erasers look right at my tree, knowing I'm here even if they can't see me, and start to move faster. Within half a minute they're almost to my tree and I'm giving the last signal, a five time rapping of the tree. The moment I finish the signal, I jump out of the tree and land on top of one of the Erasers, effectively knocking him to the ground.

Just after I land, rocks start hitting the group. I can hear cries from the back end of the mini-army of Erasers while I punch and kick the Erasers near the front of the group with all my might. The flapping of wings above me tells me that Victoria is here to do her job. She dives down to the middle of the group, making them all run. She pulls up at the last minute and starts to fight like I am. Pretty soon, Erik is out of rocks and joining us on the ground, taking out an Eraser with every shock.

Within fifteen minutes of the first signal from me, the Erasers are all down and we're done. That's our fastest fight yet. The scientists are impressed and tell us so. Ever since that day six months ago, the scientists talk with us a little, though not much. They'll mostly tell us how we did and if it impressed them. The only other advantage we've gotten is that we have bandages and antibacterial spray in our cage with us all the time now.

We've been told that no one else has this, but we've also been told that no one else gets tested like we do or has people who would purposely hurt us against them. We take this to our advantage and don't use it if we don't have to, nor do we brag about it in any way. We all know why we have it and we don't want something like that to ever happen again.

We're led back to our cage and then left alone, but no Erasers escort us. They've realized that I won't take being around Erasers lightly. The only reason I put up with the testing is because I get to fight them. We all know that I'll get over those two days eventually, but they're trying to make it as easy as possible because they don't really want an experiment like me against them in Flint. I've heard that they're much tougher in other branches of Itex, but we've been told that the people in our branch know that if the experiments don't hate them, they can do their testing a bit easier.

"That was easier than normal, I say," Erik says as he stretches and leans against a bar of the cage with his eyes closed while he tries to relax.

"I agree," Victoria sighs. "Erika, you seemed stronger today."

"I did?" I ask, very confused by this statement because I felt normal and not different in any way, especially not stronger.

"Definitely," she replies while Erik nods in agreement. "Of course, neither of us saw how you fought before the incident, so it may just be your body is regaining the strength from those months of healing. We can't really tell; only you can because you're the only who knows how you fought."

Thinking about the fight again, I realize that moving and fighting had come a bit easier to me today. It's as if my body had been stiff and now it's loosening up, finally. Of course, that probably what's happening as healed bodies are always stiff, but it's been a month and a half since my wounds were healed, so I'd have expected myself to be normal already.

"It's been a month and half, though-" I start, but I'm interrupted.

"Erika, it may have been a month and a half since you were completely healed, but it took you triple that time to heal!" Erik cries out, basically yelling. "You didn't notice, yet again, how much that affected your body," he says a bit calmer.

"What do you mean by 'yet again'?!" I ask, angry and hurt by Erik's tone and words. Erik shakes his head and turns away for a reason I don't know.

"Erika," Victoria says softly as she puts a hand on my arm, "Erik is remembering the time when he met you. From what I've been told, you never noticed how weak you were. Right now, your body is getting over the four and a half month healing, two-thirds of which involved no movement."

All I can say is "oh…" as I lean against a bar of the cage, my eyes closing of their own accord. I can tell Victoria is watching me, but I don't know what to tell her. I've truly never realized I'm weaker at times before now as I've never been told before. I guess when I'm weaker than normal, I ignore it and my body fights the weakness.

I feel something on my arm tighten, and my eyes opening, I look to see that Victoria's hand is still on my arm. I move my eyes, and eventually my head, up her arm and to her face until I'm looking into my closest friend's eyes. She has a small, sad smile on her face, and her eyes are telling me everything words can't describe.

She's telling me that she understands what my mind is going through in its confusion. She'll also be there for me, no matter what condition I'm in. she wants to help me, and it doesn't matter what it takes not what the consequences are. In a way, she reminds me of Erik, but she's also different in the same aspects that she's the same as him.

I sigh just slightly, and Victoria's lips twitch and threaten to turn into a real smile. The right side of my own lips curve up for a moment before I sigh again, forcing the smile off of my face as I do. She rolls her eyes at me before turning to beckon to Erik, making me look over at him, and what I see is surprising. His eyes are lightly rimmed by red and his eyes are still wet. The only reason I'm not worried is the fact that he's smiling as he comes over to Victoria and me.

"I think she'll be just fine, Erik," Victoria says, still facing him, though I can see a real smile on her face. "Her brain seems to be working fine… if she has a brain in her head." She faces me again, a smile covering her face as she says that, which only gets larger as I roll my eyes.

"I think she has a really tiny brain," Erik says while he wipes his eyes, "but I have to agree that it seems to be in working order."

"Sorry to say this, Erik, but your brain is smaller than Erika's," Victoria says through a laugh.

"Are you trying to say that your brain is the largest?" I ask Victoria, an eyebrow raised.

"Why of course," she says with a smile.

Erik and I share a look before I say, "I think Erik and I can both agree that –"

"You head is mostly full of empty space and –" Erik says, taking over the statement.

"Your brain is the –" I say, stealing the line from Erik.

"Smallest," we finish together.

I manage to keep a straight face for around ten seconds, which was when Erik and I made the mistake of sharing a look. Just after we do, we're both laughing so hard that we're looking at the floor of the cage as we lean forward. Moments after the two of us start laughing, I hear Victoria join us; even she can see the funny side of what just happened.

It takes all of us a few minutes to stop laughing because looking at one another keeps setting us all off again, but we finally manage to stop, though we're all still smiling. We always enjoy the few times we can be like this because, even with the scientists being nicer, we rarely get these moments. This is probably the third time since Victoria joined Erik and me in this room just over six months ago that we've had a moment like this.

"Oh man, we needed that," Erik says, his voice a little shaky while he tries to get his breath back after all of the laughing.

"Uh-huh," Victoria says, unable to form any real words while barely able to breathe.

I just nod while panting happily, a smile still covering my face. The other two don't try to talk anymore for a few minutes while we try to get our breath back. I think we're all enjoying the memory of the conversation as at random times, I see both Erik and Victoria's smiles grow for just a moment, though never at the same moment. We all keep doing this, even after our breathing is finally normal again.

"Are you both okay?" Victoria asks, finally breaking the silence. She looks at both of us, making it obvious that she just wants to be sure that we're okay. Erik and I share a look for a moment before nodding; Victoria sighs in relief at our response. "Good. I hate it when you two are upset."

Erik laughs and says, "Try being me when Erika was upset. Remember, I've known her for two years longer than you have, and it was only us in here during that time." I roll my eyes, but decide to let these two talk – or argue, as that's obviously where this is going.

"As if you'll let me forget that you've known her longer," Victoria replies, also rolling her eyes. "You always brag about it." Her voice changes from normal to mocking as she starts to quote Erik. "'Yeah, well, I've been her friend longer!' 'Erika will take my side because she's known me longer.' Erik, you won't STOP telling me that you've known her longer."

She stops talking too see that Erik is smiling sheepishly. I can barely see either of them because I'm leaning over with laughter again. I have a feeling I'm being glared at by Victoria, but it won't make me stop laughing because whenever these two get like this, it's hard not to laugh. It's even funnier when the conversation is about me.

"Oh, be quiet, Erika!" Victoria snaps at me, obviously annoyed at my laughing at her, though I'm really laughing at both of my friends. I look up at her, still laughing slightly and with an innocent look on my face, and see that she's glaring slightly at me. "It isn't that funny."

"Yes it is! Try looking at this from my point of view, and tell me it isn't funny. I mean, you both keep having this argument over and over, and it always has the same outcome: Erik tells you that he's known me longer, you tell him you know, and you end up mimicking him. It's really funny when you know what's coming. You don't help it by making faces about it, either."

"Uh… I know I'm the one being told off in the first place, but… I have to agree with Erika because it really is funny when you aren't part of the conversation," Erik says slowly, unsure if he's going to get yelled at some more or not.

"I have to agree with you two this time," Victoria sighs. "If it wasn't for the fact that I'm one of the two people causing it, I'd be laughing too. In fact, if it were you two doing this, I'd find it hard to stop laughing." She smiles up at me, letting me know that she understands why I was laughing and agrees with it.

"Okay, now that we have that handled, what are we going to do?" Erik asks, obviously bored and getting impatient for a new idea.

"How about sleep?" I ask, knowing that he'll hate the idea, but at the same time agree to it as there isn't much else to do right now.

"Noo," he complains. "You _always_ say that, Erika. Why can't you think of anything else to do when we're bored?"

"Erik, there isn't that much to do, and you know it," Victoria says, just as used to this argument as I am.

"Besides, I'm the one that came up with the games that we do play, like the one with our hands," I remind him, making him scowl.

"Oh, be quiet, you two! I want something _new_ to do!"

"Then think of something!" we both tell him at the same moment. We've both done that before, so we don't even have to look at each other; this argument is really so old that we both know how to make him stop fighting it.

Erik mutters something under his breath about stupid girls, rude, and not coming up with ideas. Victoria and I both smile slightly as we share a look before we roll our eyes at him. I take my index finger and run it across the back of my neck, as if I'm cutting myself, and Victoria nods, understanding the message I'm sending her: _He's an idiot._

She pulls on her ear, sending me a different message: _I agree._

I take my index and middle finger, point them out with them together while the rest of my fingers are still tucked in, and make a circle in the air with them, telling her I'm rolling my eyes.

Erik suddenly looks up from the floor and sees the signal, even though I tried to put my hand back in my lap before he could see it. "_Why_ were you rolling your eyes this time?" he asks, sighing.

"No reason," I reply, trying not to laugh. I decide to do one of the few signs that neither of them understands because it's one of the few that are mine. I point out my index finger and pinky and make a circle with the two fingers pointed out. No matter how hard they've tried, neither Victoria nor Erik can figure out that it means _Can this person/these people not be (an) idiot(s)?_ so it's very funny for me.

"Ugh! Not _that_ sign again, Erika!" Erik complains, hating the fact that he still doesn't know what it means. At least Victoria is quieter in the fact that she resents not knowing what it means; she mostly just looks at me curiously when I use it, as if she's confused and trying to figure it out.

"Yes, _that_ sign again, Erik. It's not my fault that every new sign you come up with for yourself is easy to guess. Maybe you should try more complicated ones, or use them when it isn't as obvious, like I do."

"Erika, Erik, calm down," Victoria says. "Erik, you know that we all agreed we could have three personal signs as long as the other two couldn't guess them; you and I just haven't figured out that one of Erika's yet. Erika, are you trying to bait him?" I shake my head, which tells her that I was not only not trying to bait him, but I was also using my sign in the context I want it to fit in. "Okay, well then, Erik, stop complaining and just _figure out what it means._"

Erik sighs and mutters "fine…" under his breath before lying down, facing away from us. Victoria sighs, shaking her head at him, before lying down as well. I look at the floor before lying down, upset that Erik was upset at me. He knows that I don't try to bait him.

I hear Erik sit up and move around Victoria, who's almost asleep because she can somehow fall asleep just by closing her eyes, and come to a stop by me. Lying down behind me, he angles himself so that we can look at each other for a moment before he closes his eyes. Smiling slightly, I realize that he moved so that I could put my head on his stomach to sleep, like I normally do every night, so I do. I feel him sigh in contentment before his breathing gets deeper, telling me he's falling asleep.

My breathing getting deeper, the last thought I have is how I think that this is the best place to fall asleep for me; in fact, it's even better than how I slept when I was with my sister.

* * *

**Well... Nothing to comment on for the chapter itself, but something to comment on... The idea of their own sign language isn't something I can claim, though I can claim the actual signs... mostly. The idea comes from the Dangerverse (as the Universe is known) by whydoyouneedtoknow (dead serious... I was laughing when I heard that). That series, which starts with the story Living with Danger, is an excellent Harry Potter series that I recommend to all of you if you want something to read. I also say that I can't claim the actual signs completely because what happened was, my friend in my old math class told me about the series, I read a bunch of it, and we agreed to make up our own sign language. Anyway, she, Erika, and I created our own language, though it needs a lot of work. So, I used some of the motions from that, made up a few of my own, and put meanings to them that fit, but aren't the same as the one the three of us made. (Have to keep them different... my friend has no idea what it means and he randomly looks at this story.)**

**I have a second favor to ask of all of you on top of power ideas in general (not all will go to Victoria): I need ideas for memories you want to see from Erika's life. Random moments I haven't written. I'm asking because I'm going to have chapters (yes, more than one chapter) with just memories later on in the story. I'm going to write the memory of Erik, Erika, and Victoria getting the idea of their own sign language. I'll also do one fo Erika's time in the death room when she's around 2. The last, and one I've already written, is a scene I mentioned very early in the story, but never wrote; it had my friend Erika laughing so hard when I let her read the rough draft.**

**Two more things before I leave you with this long author's note. One, please, vote on my poll on my profile. Two, I just wanted to let you all know that Erika was about three and a half when this all started (she was three and didn't care about the half back then) and four years have gone by in this story, making her seven and a half. Some will know why I'm mentioning her age.**

**Posted: 1/23/10**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Alexa, Jen, Victoria, and I all share a group rolling of eyes as Shawn gets competitive again and challenges Kyle to a series of flying competitions. The first is, obviously, who can fly fastest of the pair; the second is who can do the best tricks in two minutes; the third and final contest is who can fly highest the quickest, which is a new one and very odd.

I'm very confused so I whistle once, short and sharp, making Victoria look at me. I put the sides of my hands together and then close them to ask her the most obvious question I can: _What the hell?_

Victoria makes a circle with her index finger, the rest of her fingers tucked in, and then points out her middle finger to join her index finger as she finishes. _I'm as confused as you._

Sighing, I lie back down and stretch in the grass on the hill of my paradise with everyone but Kyle and Shawn. Those two are using the rest of us as judges from out vantage point down below them. They love to do their annoying competitions a lot, but we all just let them do it because it gives us a chance to relax. Besides, if we don't, they're worse than they are after a competition, which is bad enough as it is.

We all watch as they take off racing. We're expecting it to be almost a tie because it usually is, so we all gasp as Shawn races ahead of Kyle, seeming to have wind behind him that Kyle doesn't. He gets to the finish before Kyle is even halfway there, smiling like a maniac. Kyle's face shows his shock quite obviously as he catches up to Shawn. We can tell even from down here that Kyle has been shocked into silence, he's that amazed.

Shawn and Kyle talk for a few moments before Shawn moves off to the side so that Kyle can so his tricks. Kyle's moves are his normal ones with him doing loops, spins, and dives. Shawn's are quite different, yet they're obviously the same ticks, just done differently. His spins are faster with his wings stretched out in such a way that you can see all of his feathers; his loops are much larger, yet they don't seem to be taking more time than normal; his dives are happening from higher up, going much farther down than normal, yet they're also taking the normal amount of time, meaning that they're faster. It's as if he's controlling the wind to do his bidding.

The idea of air manipulation comes to my mind quite randomly, but once I start to think about it, I realize that it fits what's going on. It also doesn't help that the idea won't leave my head now that it's in there. Sighing internally, I watch the third and final competition with the idea of Shawn manipulating the air in my mind. The fact that Shawn seems to fly up so fast that it's like being able to _see_ him using my teleportation to move up only confirms my mind's idea that he's controlling the wind.

The six of us sit up before we start to stand as we watch Shawn and Kyle dive down and then brake before landing. Kyle's hands are curled up into fists from his anger at having been beaten so easily, and I realize that I have to tell them all about Shawn's power that only I've seemed to have noticed. The worried looks being shared between Jen, Alexa, Victoria, and Erik don't help me get the courage to go and talk to a furious Kyle. What worries me the most is the fact that _Victoria_ doesn't want to talk to him, and she's usually the only person to calm him when he's angry. This means that it'll take something really big to make him listen; I guess it's a good thing that new powers are a big thing with us.

I finally take a slow step towards the pair, ignoring the different looks from the other five, preparing to say something when something more unbelievable happens than Kyle apologizing without being forced to. Kyle's anger becomes so strong that fire comes out of the bottom of his fists live knives being held facing down instead of us. His anger gone, he holds his fists up to stare at the flames he's somehow keeping there just by will alone instead of anger. The rest of us are just staring at Kyle.

I turn to face Shawn, taking in his feelings of shock, anger, amazement, happiness, and hurt from his face, and say, "I guess you aren't the only element manipulator of the group." Shawn turns from Kyle to look at me in shock while everyone else, except Kyle as he's still staring at his fire, looks between us in confusion.

I watch out of the corner of my eye as Victoria uses our sign language to ask Erik a question: _Do you have_ any _idea what she's talking about?_

Erik replies in the same way, _I have some idea, but I'm not completely sure._

Victoria does her sign that we have to figure out. Erik hasn't figured it out yet, but by using timing and my knowledge of Victoria, I've got the meaning, though I haven't confirmed it with her, nor have I told either of them that I've figured it out. _And that helps me… how?_ While I really like that sign and want to use it myself a lot, I've been holding myself back so that neither of them realizes that I know what it means.

Jen, who's the only person who can make Kyle stop fighting just by yelling at him, finally snaps out of her moment of shock, confusion, and amazement. She turns to face me and asks, "What the hell do you mean by that?"

Shrugging, I reply, "Kyle's obviously able to control fire, and Shawn was controlling the air just now during the competition. I guess I was the only person to notice Shawn."

Everyone turns to face Shawn, even Kyle this time, and Jen asks, "Is this true?" Shawn nods slowly, showing that he's being careful. "So you knew that you knew you could control the air and didn't tell us?!" Shawn nods slowly again, obvious afraid of Jen as her anger is showing. Jen glares at him, not looking like she's going to let him off easy for this.

"Erika," Alexa whispers in my ear, surprising me slightly, "teleport her to the middle of the forest. Just get her away from Shawn for a bit. If anyone can stop her from being angry, it's you, but she can't be near the cause while you're doing it." I nod, get a picture of a small clearing near the middle of the forest in my mind, grab Jen's arm, and picture us being there, effectively teleporting us.

"Erika!" Jen yells at me as she turns to face me, wrenching her hand from my grasp. "Why did you-? Alexa." I nod and she takes a deep breath, letting it out as a sigh. I wait for her to calm down patiently, knowing that the easiest way for it to happen is for me not to say anything to her until she's calm.

"Since we're here," Jen says with a small smile on her face, startling me slightly, "want to climb some trees?" Seeing the look on my face, which is most likely excited, she laughs and says, "I'll take that as a yes. Come on!"

We both run to trees on opposite sides of the clearing, climb up as high as we can, and then jump to the trees next to ours, both of us going in the same direction without meaning to. We then climb up to the height that we can jump from and jump again, still going in the same direction. We continue to do this over and over, smiling the entire time as this is something that gets your adrenaline pumping. The sad thing is that the others always tell us off when we try to do this because they've never tried it, so they don't know that it's not hard and how much fun it can be.

Pretty soon there's only one tree separating us, and I sit back against the trunk of the tree while Jen makes the final jump after she tells me she'll do it. I watch as she climbs higher up the tree and then pushes off, jumping. I see a moment too late that she didn't push off hard enough and the branch that she's aiming for won't be there to grab. I call out to her just as her hand narrowly misses the branch.

She falls, unable to open her wings as there isn't enough space unless she wants the trees to rip her feathers out. She keeps her right hand out, trying to grab onto another branch, but none of the branches on the tree are long enough or strong enough to stop her fall. I'm about to jump when I see movement on the tree. The next thing I know, a tree branch is in Jen's hand and she's holding on tight, her arm obviously hurting her by the look of pain on her face.

I just watch as Jen uses her other hand to pull herself up to sit on her branch, cradling her arm once she's stable. I climb up a bit higher on my tree and jump to hers, a branch coming out to meet me so that I _can't_ fall at all, though I'm guessing Jen doesn't realize she's doing it. I then climb until I'm sitting on the branch in front of her so close that I can touch her.

"Are you okay?" I ask softly, my hand moving out and softly touching her shoulder. She winces as I touch it, but then relaxes as she knows I'm just trying to help.

"It hurts…" she admits, "but I think I'll be okay." She looks down at the branch she's sitting on and then the one I grabbed onto when I jumped to this tree. "Was that me?"

"I think so. You helped me when I was jumping here towards you." I smile slightly, showing her my thanks for that as I really don't want to fall. "I'm pretty sure you were controlling the earth like Shawn with the air and Kyle with the fire."

"Earth… fire… air…" she mutters under her breath, obviously talking to herself as she thinks. "Does that mean one of us can control water?" she asks curiously once she's done thinking.

"There's a good chance of it," I admit after half a minute of thinking about the idea. "We have three of our seven with the power, so there has to be the fourth among us."

"Seven?"

"Of course. Erik can't count in this number because, using a term I used when Victoria first came to our room, he doesn't have awesome wings like us." I smile as that memory comes back.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," Jen says while laughing slightly.

"Anyway, I think that if we look at the person who has which power, we can figure out who has water."

"What do you mean?" Jen's face has a mask of confusion so obvious that a two year old would know she's confused.

"I mean that Kyle's personality fits fire manipulation. Truthfully, if I had to guess who it would have gone to, you'd have been my only other choice. Kyle fits it a bit better as he fights without thinking _and_ he just acts like fire does.

"Shawn fits air in a way…" I pause, trying to figure out how to explain my thoughts on Shawn before deciding to just try my best. "It's hard to explain my thoughts but I'll try. When I think of air, I think of a force that can be quite calm, yet it can get strong when it has too, but it also isn't as harsh as the other elements without help. A hurricane needs water; a tornado may be air, but it's like someone who needs a lot of anger to really show his or her feelings. He can be strong without being harsh unless he needs too, but otherwise he's usually calm.

"Truthfully, earth fits you since fire doesn't. You're definitely strong and don't like to back down, kind of like rocks or trees or even earth itself. You also fight when you have to with a strength most don't have, like how the earth is strong. Jen, the earth is like you in a way with how both of you are strong and don't give up."

"I-I've never realized you see us all like that," she whispers, shock covering her features completely.

"I see you all like that a lot, but it's just how I see sometimes." We go into a silence for a few minutes, each of us thinking about our own things. Jen breaks the silence first by asking a question.

"Could the water manipulator be you, Erika?"

"I might be, but Alexa and I are quite similar. I think even the boys know that." Jen smiles with me. "Alexa and I calm a lot of the time, though we both love to joke around and that sort of thing. I know that I try not to let my anger take over me except in certain situations; Alexa's even better at that than I am."

"I have to agree with that statement. You two are always the two to stay the calmest when everyone is fighting. I think the only other person to stay calm is Brandon, but that's probably because he's reading minds instead of letting himself get angry."

"Probably. Brandon may fit the requirements for the power, but water is the most confusing of them all in a way. Water can be calm much of the time, but it stays strong at all times. If you go too far into water, you get caught and you have to deal with its onslaught. We also have to remember that water does get very strong and attack out.

"The person who has water manipulation will be someone who can be calm while still being ready to fight on a moment's notice when needs as well as being hard to catch unawares. He or she also can get angry at times and be feared for it as the anger is quite strong and well used."

"You're basically saying that you think the controller of water in our group is Victoria, aren't you?" I smile.

"Very well done, Jen. You took my thoughts and made the connection perfectly."

"I guess I have to agree with you on this one. Water does seem to fit her personality better than anyone else. My only question is this: Is there a way to prove it?" We both go silent, trying to figure out a way to test the idea without giving it away.

"I could always teleport us all to the lake and we can have her try it there," I say slowly. "We can even trick her by not telling them all what we're doing right away. In fact, I say that once we find out if we're right or not, we have a nice, peaceful water fight." The two of us look at one another for about half a second before we burst out laughing.

"Did you seriously just put the words nice, peaceful, and water fight into one sentence?" Jen gasps out once she stops laughing and has enough breath to form her question aloud.

"Yeah, but not even I'm optimistic enough to believe it can happen," I reply, also gasping a bit.

"Well, come on, let's go to the lake." Jen reaches her hand out and grabs mine with it.

I teleport her to the lake, which is actually a lake with a river flowing through it on both sides so that the water is moving. I let go of her hand and then teleport back to the hill where the others are lying down in the grass and looking up at the clouds. I appear between Alexa, Victoria, and Brandon, so I grab their hands, two in one hand and one in the other, and teleport them to the like right by where Jen is waiting. Going back to the hill, I find Kyle, Erik, and Shawn all standing, so I grab them and teleport them to the lake as well before teleporting myself into a nearby tree to listen and watch.

"Why did that girl teleport us here, and who said she could?!" Kyle yells loudly, annoyed at me enough to not want to use my actual name.

"We want to test something," Jen says quietly, which gets everyone's attention as Jen rarely speaks quietly.

_What are you testing, Erika?_ Brandon asks right into my mind, startling me as I had forgotten he doesn't need to know exactly where I am to talk to me.

_You'll see,_ I reply, not planning on giving away what we're doing. I guess he realizes this because he doesn't ask me again, though I do see Jen's face show shock before anger.

"What are you two testing, Jen?" Shawn calmly asks, making it obvious that he wants the truth.

"Well… when Erika feels like rejoining us-" I appear right in front of her, glaring right in her face. "Great!" she says with a smile. "Now we can go swimming!"

Kyle and Shawn go running to the lake with Erik right behind them, not wanting to be left behind. Victoria runs to a different part of the sparkling, blue lake and dives right into it, coming up right in the middle of the lake a few moments later. Jen and I share a look; the speed that Victoria swims with is making it obvious that our guess is correct. I shield my thoughts from Brandon as I watch him drag Alexa into the lake when she hesitates by the edge.

Sharing a look, Jen and I both run towards the lake and jump in. The difference between our jump and those of our friends is the fact that we had Jen pushing the ground beneath us so that we went up higher and landed harder, making a huge splash that got every one of the others. When we break the surface of the clear, blue water, everyone is shaking themselves off before they start to stare at us, not understanding how we did that.

"How do you like that power, Jen?" Brandon asks, making us groan before glaring at him. He tries to look innocently by copying my innocent smile, but he can't pull it off like I can. "Hey!" he complains, obviously reading my mind.

I stick my tongue out at him. _Serves you right for ruining our fun. _I think for a moment. _Also for reading our minds._

"You're trying to figure out who has the power to control water, aren't you?" Alexa asks quietly after the brief moment of silence that occurred while I was talking to Brandon. "Who do you think it is?"

_Wow, she didn't even wait for a response from either of us, _I think to myself while I look at Victoria. I see Jen mimicking me out of the corner of my eye while the rest follow our gazes.

"Me?" Victoria asks in surprise, barely making her voice sound like it isn't a squeak. We just keep look at her, so she takes that as a yes, asking, "Why me?"

"You personality," I say vaguely, confusing her even more with that response.

Jen rolls her eyes at my being vague as she elaborates. "Your personality fits water better than Erika's, Alexa's, or Brandon's. We don't even count Erik in this since he doesn't have wings." Understanding flashes across everyone's faces after that, though Erik looks annoyed.

"Hey!" he exclaims. "Just because I don't have wings doesn't mean I can't have powers!"

I sigh and answer this myself, knowing that I'll make him listen easier than Jen could. "We know that Erik. I wouldn't bet against you having powers, but I don't think you'll have this type. Look at the three who have them already; they're all birdkids. Besides, if you were to fit any element it'd probably be fire or earth. You're too much like Jen and Kyle to fit the other two."

He growls at me for a moment before giving in and sighing. Jen mouths a thank you to me before turning to look at Victoria, whose attention is on the water that we're all floating in. Her scrunched up face shows how much she's concentrating on the water, so we all wait silently as a small sphere of water rises out of the lake in front of her having been formed underneath the surface so we couldn't see it. It stops rising right in front of her eyes where she stares at it for a moment. Then, being Victoria who's controlling it, the water sphere is thrown at Kyle and hits him right between the eyes are that very quickly glaring at her while the rest of us laugh.

I whistle to catch Victoria's attention and then make a fist with my right hand, use both of my hands to make a 'V', and then show my left hand, all the fingers touching but not in a fist: _Girls Vs. Boys?_ She smiles evilly and nods. She then concentrates without it showing on her face, making spheres of water hit all of the boys from behind at the same moment. The water fight – well war if I'm being realistic – that occurs from that one thing is complete chaos.

Victoria, being the water controller, makes it the most interesting fight for the girls' team. She creates piles of balls of water that follow us girls around but can't be touched by the boys or they lose their shape so that we can just pick one up and throw it at them. She also creates waves of all sizes to hit the boys and sometimes move us girls around the lake if needed. She also creates small whirlpools to mess up the boys' aims; she even uses them to drag the boys underwater and keep them there for half a minute. Without her, the water wouldn't have been easy to work with, but she makes it much easier for us girls as she controls it to do whatever she wants.

Jen uses her power over the earth amazingly. Not only does she use it to push us girls up so that Victoria's waves could carry us easier, but she also uses it to push the boys up higher so that we can easily hit them with the water balls. She also uses it to push us out of the way of incoming water is Victoria doesn't see it coming or she can react to it. My favorite thing that she does with it, though, is when she uses it to stick the boys to one spot; when he boys duck too low to dodge a water sphere, their hands get caught in the mud on the bottom of the shallow end of the lake as well.

Kyle is mostly using his fire as a distraction. He throws random fireballs at us, forcing us to do one of many things: throw a water ball at it, duck under the water, spray it with water, or have Victoria put it out. They don't do much, but they cause enough of a distraction at times that we get hit by another boy.

Shawn's power over air is actually less useful than Kyle's fire power. Shawn can only do a few things. He can disturb the surface of the water, which just means that Victoria's mind is always trying to keep the water calm enough around us. We've also had him blowing air right at us so that it makes it hard to see. There have been random signs that he's trying to use his wind manipulation in the form of random areas having water droplets come out of nowhere.

The rest of us use our normal powers to the best of our abilities. Brandon tries to distract us by saying random things into our minds. Erik is using his enhanced strength to make larger splashes of water than the rest of us, other than Victoria of course. I'm using my teleportation to go around with my spheres and hitting them all. I also have something like goggles on my eyes from my force field power since I don't want to be unfair by covering my entire body; my nose and eyes can't get water in them, meaning I can always see and breathe.

Alexa is the only one of us eight that has nothing she can use that no one else has, which means she has something none of us has: The ability to look weak. The boys forgot that she can be sneaky and silent in the water when she's under it, so she uses that to her advantage by pulling them underwater quite randomly. Otherwise, she's just throwing spheres at them and splashing them.

We're all having fun in our massive, chaotic water war. The four element manipulators are enjoying their new powers and love being able to test them by having fun. The war continues until I'm woken up by a touch on my leg…

* * *

**Sorry if this chapter seemed to take place in Itex in the beginning, but I'm kind of hoping that you've all put together the idea that when Alexa and the others are with Erika, it's her paradise. Anyway, this was a fun chapter to write as it's ALL in her paradise. I'm hoping you all enjoy this break from the science labs known as Itexicon. I was asked long ago if her dreams had anything to do with this story if they were just there. Back then, they were mostly just dreams in my mind, but then I got an idea a couple of chapters ago and now her dreams are still dreams, but there's something odd going on. I truthfully want to know if anyone can catch one of the differences between this dream and her others.**

**This is officially the longest chapter, though by under 100 words only. It's on page 9 and 4,271 words on Microsoft Word. Also, I'm sorry if there are mistakes. I'm human, I make mistakes, and this is un-edited. I literally just finished typing it up from my hand-written copy, which I always edit from when the typed copy is made.**

**Well, I'm still looking for power ideas, memory ideas (I need some ideas/requests from her time with Alexa and the others AND Victoria and Erik (if you have any from then) that I can write), and votes on my poll. The poll is important as I'm curious as to how many people want a sequel to Old and New Attack but that's just me. I'll most likely write it either way.**

**Please review and let me know what you though of the chapter as well as power ideas, memory ideas, and the difference(s) between this dream and her others.**

**Posted: 1/31/10**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

The touch of a hand on my leg wakes me and I stiffen at it. I feel Erik stiffen under me as I stay stiff. I finally relax slightly when I hear a voice whisper, "Erika, Erik, it's only me." I slowly sit up, my body still relaxing, and face Victoria, Erik mimicking me once I'm off of him. Victoria's face has that look of fear that you get after a nightmare, yet her eyes show worry in them; the mixture of them doesn't make sense.

"What's wrong, Victoria?" I ask.

"Did – did you two dream last night?" She asks quite hesitant. I nod and see Erik nodding as well.  
"Did it – did it have a hill and a river/lake with a forest around it?" Erik nods and I'm frozen in place.

They had both been to my paradise last night! How did they get into _my_ paradise? It's supposed to be _my _place to go at night to escape Itex. Is it possible that one of us has a power to let us share a dream? Did they somehow get into my mind and watch my dream?

"Erika, is something wrong?" Victoria asks, effectively breaking my thoughts that were getting near hysterical.

"Have you ever dreamt of that place before?" I manage to ask, though my voice is almost silent. Both shake their heads, faces showing their confusion. "I've dreamt of that place since I was really little; probably since I was two and a half…." Their faces are masks of shock, unable to say anything right away.

"How – how did we get into _your_ dreamland, then?" Erik asks very slowly, as if he doesn't want to know.

"That's exactly what I want to know. Plus, that dream was… different. It wasn't my normal dream in that place. It's like having other real people sharing it with me changed it."

"Before we ask any more questions, I just wanted to say that your dreamland is amazing, Erika," Victoria says, making me smile. "Now, onto my question: How's this dream different from your normal ones?"

"Well…" I hesitate a moment. "I don't see someone using powers in my dreams that I don't already know they have. I'm betting you can manipulate water now that I've seen that dream, but I _didn't_ know it before last night, and we aren't even sure if you have the power yet. If we didn't know _you_ had it, how am I supposed to know Kyle, Jen, _and _Shawn have it? My dreams just don't work like that."

"My power… That wasn't just me dreaming or imagining it, then? You both saw me controlling the water, right?" Victoria's face tells me that she doesn't just want reassurance, she _needs_ reassurance.

"Victoria, I definitely saw you controlling the water. I remember that water fight as if we did it here in Itex. Didn't you see her using the water in that war, Erik?" Next to me, Erik nods very quickly to reassure her right away. "If you still don't believe us, we can prove that you have the power to manipulate water."

Erik says "We can?" as he if isn't sure at the same moment Victoria asks very hopefully, "You can?"

I nod and tell them both, "We can." I move towards where we keep our bottles of water and open one before turning back to Victoria and Erik. "Victoria, just make some of this water into a sphere again, like you did in the dream." Recognition shows all over Victoria's face while Erik puts his palm to his forehead, closing his eyes, obviously calling himself an idiot.

I hold out the bottle of water towards Victoria and watch as she closes her eyes, her face a mask of concentration. Watching the water instead of her face, I see the water begin to make a cyclone that rises above the rest of the water and makes itself into a sphere that moves to float in front of Victoria's face, where her open eyes stare at it, before flying to hit Erik between the eyes.

"HEY!" he yells indignantly. "I am NOT Kyle!" He tries to use his hands to wipe the water from his face – unsuccessfully.

"I know," Victoria says, trying not to let her laughing take over her voice, "but you react better, making this _so_ worth it. I think even Erika has to agree, your reaction is hilarious." She gives into her laughter before looking up at me for my reply to what she just said.

I take my right index finger and run it down the right side of my face from right next to the top of my ear to the bottom of my cheek and then point it out at the two of them. _Leave me out of this!_

This message sets Victoria off again as she had barely gotten over her last round of laughing and Erik begins to chuckle. This is one of the signs I had made up a few months ago and they had figured out as its meaning is obvious once used in context. All three of us use this sign at least once a week because of how our conversations go.

"Fine Erika, we'll leave you out of this," Victoria says, obviously trying to keep her laughter in line again.

I glare at her for a moment before turning my head to the right, away from both of them, and taking a drink of water from the bottle still in my hand. Hearing the obvious noise of hand signs being used, most likely from Erik, and knowing that I'm drinking water, which Victoria can control, I put the pieces together and do one more sign. I hold my hand straight up, all the fingers together, and then turn it so that the palm goes from facing me to facing them. _Don't._

Erik groans loudly but also sadly while Victoria asks, "How?" I know that the full question is "How did you know?" so I answer that.

"Your clothes make noise and I can put two and two together." I turn to see their disappointed and slightly annoyed faces.

"You _heard_ us signing?" Erik asks with his face full of confusion now that he's thought about my reply for a moment.

"Yeah, I did, Erik. When you were signing to Victoria, your clothes were quite noisy. That alone was enough for me to know you were going to try something. The fact that I was drinking water and Victoria can now control it just made it so that I knew it was going to be something to do with the water in my mouth."

"Dang it," Erik mutters under his breath, making me smile slightly.

The door opens and a scientist walks in. While this is normal in the morning, the fact that there's no food makes us all curious. The scientist walks over and opens the cage, motioning for all three of us to get out without saying a word. We all lock eyes with each other. Erik makes a fist with his thumb inside of it and turns it left and right. _Should we go?_

Victoria shrugs and they both look at me. I nod and pretend to wipe sweat off my brow, though I'm really doing a sign. _Be careful_. Victoria nods right away and Erik follows suit, after he rolls his eyes, of course.

I leave the cage first, being the closest to the door, and I'm followed by Victoria, Erik taking up the rear. We follow the scientist, who still hasn't said a single word, while he leads us to the conference room my parents and uncle had always taken me to after a test. I hesitate in the doorway as memories of that time slide through my mind, causing Erik and Victoria to have to push me inside of the room.

Still staring around the room, I take a seat, Erik and Victoria taking a seat on either side of me. The scientist leaves us alone, still not a word spoken. The three of us are silent. The other two know that this room has bad memories for since I've told them about it before when they asked about what it was like before I realized my parents and uncle were evil.

I open my mouth to tell my friends about the memories I'm going through, but they shake their heads, not wanting to know about the personal memories. I nod and we wait for a few more minutes until our favorite scientist, Robert, comes into the room. He looks at each of us in turn, looking at me the longest.

"I'm sorry for a few things," he says, his face full of guilt. He faces me as he says the first thing. "I'm sorry you have to be in this room again, but the other conference room is a bit busy right now."

"It's okay," I say quietly, really meaning it.

"The next thing I'm sorry about is something I'm truly sorry about but I have my orders about this…" He takes a deep breath. "The other avian hybrids, Alexa, Jen, Brandon, Kyle, and Shawn, are here in Flint again, but you aren't allowed to physically see them."

"WHAT!?" Erik yells, the only one of the three of us able to speak. "What do you mean we can't see them?!"

"I'm sorry, but they're only here for a week because of an experiment we've done on the Erasers and a few other types of experiments. We're doing it on a new type of experiment, and they're part of it. I really wish I could let them see you, but it might ruin the test."

"What test?" I ask quietly, not wanting to talk about the others for fear of tears forming in my eyes.

"You three are part of it as well; that's the third thing I'm sorry for. We were told to inject you three along with those five with a liquid to test the idea of sharing dreams." The three of us are speechless. "We made it so that it would start last night and last for two more nights after that, as well as any time in between that you are asleep."

"You're the cause of that dream we all had last night?" Victoria asks, obviously shocked.

"Yes. We decided to just let the technology choose which of you to use as the host for the dream. It was built to use the best dream world out of the people in the group and put them into it so that they can share a dream. All eight of you were in the same dream, though we don't know what happened in it, nor do we know whose dream it was."

"How long is this going to last?" I whisper, deciding not to tell Robert that the dream was in my paradise just yet.

"We know it'll last for two more days and nights, but we don't know about the long term effects. It might last for only these two days and nights, or it might come back randomly in the future. We're hoping for the comeback randomly in the future, but we can't tell you what will happen."

I sigh and then sign a message to the other two. _Do you like the sounds of this?_ Both of them shake their heads. _Should we tell him?_ Erik looks confused, but Victoria seems to know that I'm talking about how it was in my paradise. She replies, _Only if asked._ I nod in understanding before turning back to Robert, waiting for more.

"We have the ability to put you to sleep for most of the two days and night you have this, though we'd wake you up for eating and the bathroom," he says, realizing we aren't going to say anything just yet. "We've asked the other five and they said that if you want to do it, then they'll do it. They really do want to talk with you, and this will allow you all to talk to each other with your minds still able to think."

_Should we?_ Victoria asks by sign, which I catch out of the corner of my eye. Erik nods and I shrug.

_I guess, but I'm confused._ I tell them both. They both ask, at almost the same time, _About what?_ I shrug and say _About what he did and didn't say._ They both nod in understanding.

"By the way, all of us scientists have found your sign language quite interesting to watch." Our heads flash up to look at Robert. "It surprised us that you created your own language." We all smirk at what he says, but don't say anything.

"Anyway, we were all wondering which of your dreams you entered. We talked to the other five before coming here, so we know it wasn't one of theirs. All of them were amazed by where they had dreamed, by the way. Said it was a beautiful place and they wish they would go there again."

I do the sign for rolling my eyes before making a fist with my thumb inside of it. I pop my thumb out. _Suck up_. The other two laugh quietly at that sign, which tells me that they agree wholeheartedly with my remark.

"Are you three going to tell me whose dream it is?" he asks. The three of us raise an eyebrow at each other before shaking our heads. Robert sighs. "I guess I can't make you change your minds.

"Would you like us to give you almost two whole days with the other five, though? I wish I would let you see them outside of a dream, but I can't, so this is the best I can do." We all nod in acceptance of the offer and he smiles.

"Well, then, why don't we get you fed? Once you've eaten, we'll inject some of the tranquilizer liquid so that you'll all be asleep. We've already done this on some of the other experiments and they've confirmed that it allows them to share dreams, so you don't have to worry about that. We'll also only give you enough for a few hours so that you can wake up to eat." He looks at us, waiting for a reply, so we all just nod.

Sighing at our lack of response, he gets up and opens the door, motioning someone inside. The scientist who comes in brings us each a tray of food and then leaves. Robert stays after telling him something quietly, watching us eat our lunch. The three of us eat quietly and quickly, randomly throwing a hand sign around to say how the food is good or how annoying it is that they won't leave us alone.

In truth, all three of us are thinking about a lot of things. We have last night's dream on our mind now that we know that the other five in it were also really them and it wasn't just the three of us real. I also know that the three of us are thinking about what the next dream will be like, though I have a better idea of it than the other two, the paradise being my dreamland. Otherwise, we're all just thinking about Robert had told us.

Sadly, for me, I've got one more set of things one my mind: the memories of this room. Randomly, as I think, they pop into my head, making it so that I have to think about something else or my emotions will take over me. It really doesn't help that this room is full of both good and bad memories for me. If it didn't have both, it might be easier to handle, but the memories keep switching between good and bad memories.

I force another memory out of my mind just as I finish eating. I look up from my empty plate to see the other two finishing as well, making me sigh in relief quietly. Neither of them comments as they know why I'm sighing in relief. It's very helpful that Robert can't hear that sort of thing as well as we can because he'd be talking up a storm about that one noise.

"Well, now that you three are done, let's get going back to your room," Robert says, sounding very happy for some odd reason. "I have someone there already waiting to help you three get to sleep and the other five are also on their way to their own rooms."

Back when we first met Robert, his knowledge of things going on when he wasn't there confused us, but now it doesn't as he explained that he has something in his ear that allows others to inform him of different things like this. They've called him away on important business before with it and they've also informed him when someone else is coming into our room.

Robert takes us back to our room, knowing we won't try to run, and puts us into the single cage we all share. Another scientist walks over with a small box in her hands. She opens it to show us three needles of clear liquid and then picks one up and hands it to Robert. He motions for one of our arms so that he can inject it.

_Who should go first?_ Erik asks with hand signals.

_Erika._ Victoria replies immediately.

_Why me?!_ I ask, though they both know how I'd be saying it if I was talking.

_Because it's you they need._ She says, unable to remind me that it's my dreamland so they'll need me asleep sooner with those exact words.

_Fine, but you're next then, Victoria._ I say, giving in.

_Okay._ Both of them reply, not really minding as long as they aren't first.

I hold out my arm, catching the _Good Luck!_ from both of them. Robert takes my arm and injects the tranquilizer liquid into my vein. After that, I start to see black and can't hear anymore. I'm asleep before I know it and dreaming of my paradise yet again.

* * *

***Hides behind my original characters holding a sign above them saying "An author who is hurt, maimed, or killed can't write."* Okay, now that that's out of the way... I'm sory this is a day late. I have a few reasons like new classes that give more homework than last time, my Internet's been stupid, and I just wasn't able to finish the chapter until 6:30 AM today and my Internet was off at the time, but truthfully, I've just been out of time. School's been hectic and I barely get a chance to write during it anymore. Homework is killing me. Either way, I promise, the latest I'll ever post is the Monday after. If I go longer than that... Well, you might not want to hurt me... But I'll feel bad about it for sure!**

**ANYWAY, this was the chapter to show the effects of that dream last chapter. The idea came off the top of my head, and is working perfectly. This WILL keep coming back. This will not be just an idea for a few chapters and then disappear. You shall see it again.**

**The usual asking for memory ideas, power ideas, and a vote on my poll on my profile.**

**Please review! (Even if I was late by a day.)**

**Posted: 2/8/10**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

I open my eyes and see Alexa sitting next to me on her knees, looking down at me. She sees my eyes open and smiles, causing me to smile in return. She holds out her hand for me to grab a hold of so that she can help me sit up and I grab it.

Once I'm sitting up, I see the other four are helping Victoria and Erik sit up as all three of us had ended up in my paradise on our backs for some reason. Looking more closely at our surroundings, I see we're back in my paradise, all on the hill again. The others are all looking around to take in the details of my paradise better, and I watch their reactions; all of them are amazed by our surroundings.

"Okay, whose dream is this?" Brandon finally asks once he's done looking around. "Alexa, Shawn, Kyle, Jen, and I already talked with the scientists about it and it isn't one of our dreams, so it has to be one of yours." He looks at Erik, Victoria, and me carefully.

Erik and Victoria look towards me as I whistle, wanting to sign them a message: _Should we tell, or be evil?_ They both smile at my question and then think. Victoria replies just before Erik by saying, _Tell_. Erik, on the other hand, says, _Be evil, of course!_

Victoria and I roll our eyes at him before I tell them that we should tell the rest. Erik sighs theatrically at my idea before smiling, making everyone laugh, even if only Victoria and I know why.

"It's Erika's," Victoria says quietly once the others are paying attention to the two of us again.

"Erika?" Alexa asks me from beside me. I turn to face her and see something in her eyes that I can't describe, but I can tell that it includes her love for me.

"Yeah, it's mine," I mutter, lowering my eyes so that I'm looking at the grass beneath me.

"Erika, this place is _amazing_!" Kyle says, obviously amazed beyond belief by my paradise.

"Thanks…"

"Erika, let's let the others explore. Take me back to that lake from last night," Alexa says, knowing I need to get away from the others for a bit. I just nod and hold out my hand for her to grab, watching the others as they start to talk among themselves to figure out where to go. When I feel her hand in mine, I take us back to the lake from earlier.

She pulls me down to the ground as she sits on the ground, not letting my hand go until I'm down there with her. She puts her arm around my shoulders as I look out at the lake, letting the slight movement of the water calm me down a bit. She stays silent while my emotions are still going crazy, waiting until she can feel my emotions are calm to talk.

"Erika, you dream is amazing. They weren't joking around about that and neither am I," she mutters so that I can ignore her if I want to.

"I know, but this place has always been mine – my place to retreat to," I mutter back, my eyes closed.

"Erika, it's still yours. The only difference is that now the seven of us are really here, not just your imagination. Plus, the scientists told us that this is probably not permanent; even if it is, it would be every night after the next two days. It's still your world."

I'm silent for a few minutes, letting her words take over me. _She's right, this place _is _still my world. They're all just here visiting; the others won't stay and take over it. My friends – no, my family – are all just enjoying what my imagination created._

"There's the Erika I know," Alexa says, her smile in her voice. I look up at her, a slight smile on my face. "I knew you'd come around. Now, let's talk about what you've been up to since they took you from us."

"Uh…" I don't want to have to tell her it all. It'd be so much easier if I could just show her what happened over the past four years.

I look up at her very fast, surprising her. "What if we could all trade memories of what happened over the past four years, but without the emotions, thoughts, or pain?"

Alexa looks very thoughtful as she replies, "Do you think we could do it?"

I smile. "It's _my_ dreamland. We all might be sharing it, but it's all in my mind; you're all just coming into it."

With that said, I close my eyes and put my hand to my forehead. I hear Alexa gasp as I remember each day from the past four years, so I know something must be happening. I keep the memories coming, including everything from the days I met Victoria and Erik to the days I was tortured by our father through the Erasers. I'm not sure how she's getting the memories, but she's definitely getting them.

I finish the last memory from this morning finally and remove my hand from my forehead, my eyes opening as I do. Alexa is staring at me, but not exactly _at_ me. It's more like she's looking at something in front of me. Fear, amazement, shock, sadness, happiness, and love color her face.

"Oh, my God, Erika," she murmurs, unable to talk properly with all these emotions taking over her. "Were those images I just saw in front of me the past four years for you?" I nod my affirmative. "They came so fast, yet I could still see everything. Within a minute, I just saw and heard every single thing you've seen and heard in four years. How did that work?"

"Like you said, this is _my_ dream and _my_ world, so it's mine to control. I just… wished for you to see the memories without the emotions, thoughts, and pain and it worked."

"Wow! Amazing, Erika! I wouldn't have thought of going that." Alexa pauses for a moment. "Erika, those four years are atrocious. I can't _believe_ you've had to survive all of that! We were all told when we got back to Flint what you went through, but I didn't think it was that bad. I'm afraid to see Victoria and Erik's memories after seeing yours. They actually _saw_ you hurt, while I only saw you getting hurt and then your eyes closing as you winced in pain; I'd probably want to hurt someone if I actually saw you hurt."

"I know what you mean… I didn't actually see myself while I was hurt until I was more healed and mostly bruises." I pause for a moment, thinking about the idea of seeing their memories. "Is it even possible for anyone besides me to show memories?"

Alexa's mask of determination comes back as she says, "We'll just have to test it."

The next thing I know, her eyes are closed and her hand is on her forehead. I stare at her as images appear in front of her face. I can see the back of Kyle's black hair as he yells at Jen, whose blond hair is flying all over as she screams back at him. I watch as Shawn is thrown into his cage, brown eyes flashing in pain just before his brown hair blocks them. I see Brandon watching Alexa, whose eyes I'm watching out of, while she's taken to testing.

I watch as Erik is moved into the room that used to be my home before I was taken away from them. I see them all laughing at a joke Erik had just told. I see them all gloomy while they tell Erik about me. Alexa pushes her feather that had fallen off into Erik's hand just days before they were moved. Their reactions to leaving Erik are almost as powerful as when I had been forced away from them.

Victoria joins them in Canada and I see sadness at seeing someone my age that also has wings. Their emotions are still strong when they spend time with her. I watch all their excellent times with her. She leaves and their emotions of loss come back, but they fight through it this time.

Memories continue to flash in front of Alexa, giving me her past four years in moments. Suddenly, I'm seeing the conversation from earlier today and then it's done. I blink as I realize that those pictures had taken all of a minute, yet I had gotten every detail as if I had been there, but couldn't feeling what they felt or think what they thought.

Alexa opens her eyes, her hand already at her side, and says, "And that's our past four years. Not as… eventful as yours, but still pretty crazy." I nod in agreement, smiling at some of the memories. "Now you know exactly what happened when we were with Victoria and Erik. I have to admit, though, you all did a lot more than we did. That sign language? Brilliant. I didn't understand it last night, but I thought it was just part of the dream; now I know that it's actually a language and you all use it a lot."

"It was fun to make up and we all knew it was going to be helpful. Now it's like a second nature to the three of us."

"Oh, I could see that. It definitely looks like you can use it just as naturally as English when you talk. It's pretty amazing to see, really."

The two of us fall into silence, just looking out at the lake, watching the ripples in it and letting it calm us down. I let the memories that Alexa showed me fill my mind, taking in the scenes of happiness I couldn't see. I smile as I remember some of the jokes Erik told as they're even more stupid than the ones he uses now.

Alexa looks over at me and sees me smiling, bringing a smile to her own face. "So, how are we going to find the others?"

"You want to find the others?" I ask in a voice of mock shock.

"I have to agree with you on that one, but they won't be happy if we desert them for too long, sadly," she replies, smiling and trying not to laugh. "Besides, I think they'll enjoy the memory sharing technique we figured out."

I sigh sadly before giving in. "_Fine…_ Well, getting out of here is easy, but finding the others will be tough…"

"You have an idea don't you?" she asks, somehow knowing I do. I raise an eyebrow. "Your eyes made it obvious and then your emotions helped."

I roll my eyes before I reply, "I can teleport us right into the air." Alexa stares at me in amazement.

"Have you done this before?"

"Yeah. None of you really noticed, but I got good with my powers really fast… It's because when I come here, I can use my powers as if it were real life. I've done new things with my powers here and then done them during my time in the arena."

"Wow. This place really is perfect in a way."

"In a way…" I mutter, looking down at the ground.

"Erika, look at me." I look up at my sister. "Erika, don't be ashamed. This place is amazing. Take the compliments when you're given them."

"I know Alexa, but…"

"This is your place and you've never really shared it with anyone before even if the rest of us are in here in your imagination." I nod. "I get it, Erika. This is your place, but you have to remember, even with the rest of us in here, this is _your_ place. You just proved it's yours; none of us can take it from you."

"Thanks…" I murmur.

"Come on, Erika."

A hand enters my view and I grab it, letting Alexa help me stand up. I open my wings completely and Alexa copies me, being careful not to hit my wings with hers. We both lift our wings above our heads, our hands still linked under them, and prepare for me to teleport us. I concentrate on an image of the hill from far above and image us being that far above it.

The next thing I know, my wings are beating to stop me from falling through the air and my hand loses Alexa's as she tries to stop her downward fall. My wings finally level me out and I look down just in time to see Alexa soar up to join me.

"Warn me you're going to do that next time, will ya?" she asks, smiling so I know she's not mad.

"Fine." I stick my tongue out at her, smiling.

I look around us and stare at my paradise. Fields, forests, and rivers extend as far as the eye can see. Mountains are visible in the distance, a slight section of gray on the horizon. Thin clouds are surrounding the two of us, moving slowly with the wind. The cool breeze moves my hair around my face as I spot six birds that aren't birds but my friends.

Alexa and I both fly towards the six black dots in the distance, flying fast enough that they're slowly becoming people with wings. When we finally reach them, all eight of us have huge smiles plastered onto our faces. We all just fly in loops, enjoying the chance to fly together for the first time ever, even if it is only in a shared dream. We all know this is going to end soon, so we're enjoying it while we can.

* * *

**I'm a day late again and the chapter's short, but I'm sorry. The three-day weekend messed up my mind a little and I was in pain Friday and Saturday. Let's just say... If you do karate and take a lot of falls, expect pain. Anyway, I'd have made this longer, but it just seemed to end here. I'm already working on the next chapter and I hope to finish it early so that I can work on having extra chapters again, though I'm not sure how well it'll work. Anyway, I'm sorry yet again, but life is a lot busier this semester.**

**I'm asking for the usual: Memory ideas, power ideas, and votes on my poll about whether or not you all want a sequel to Old and New Attack.**

**Posted: 2/15/10 (Happy Late Valentine's Day, all!)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

**The Last Night with the Dreams**

I open my eyes and Alexa helps me sit up yet again as I seem to be doomed to come into my paradise lying on my back while it's a shared dream. Sighing, I look around and see everyone else sitting up as well. I smile when I see what everyone has around their neck. Putting my hand to my own neck, my smile grows.

I trace the feathers tied together with a few pieces of Erik's hair. Looking down at them, I see how the brown, gold, black, black, silver, blue, and white all merge together into one beautiful bunch of feathers hanging from a leather cord.

The others all see me fingering my necklace and they all finger their own, loving the feel of something that's from all eight of us together. This necklace marks our friendship, and most importantly, it represents our family. This shows that we'll all be together, forever.

"So, what are we going to do this last night together?" Erik asks, shaking me out of my thoughts of the necklace.

"Well, we should definitely ask Erika since she's the one who knows this place the best," Jen says matter-of-factly. "So, Erika, any place you haven't shown us yet?"

"Of course," I reply, answering the question without giving them the answer they really want.

"_Erika_," Jen whines. "Come _on_." I laugh along with Alexa, Victoria, and Brandon.

"Yes, I have another place to go. I've been evil and hidden the mountains from you." I smile when I see realization flash across their faces.

"You mean those mountains aren't just there? There's something to do there?"

"Well, _duh_! There's _snow_!"

Alexa, being Alexa, grabs my hand and smiles at me while Jen is staring at me. I smirk slightly and teleport the two of us to the mountain, right at the entrance of a cave. I go back to the others once she lets go of my hand and wait for others to grab hold. Brandon grabs on the moment I get back with Shawn, Victoria, and Erik right behind him. Jen and Kyle take a few more minutes, but once they've got a hold of me, I take them to the cave.

Everyone lets go and starts to look around the dark, musty cave. The light from the sun only goes a few feet in, leaving much of the cave in darkness. Dripping emanates from inside the cave, telling me that the water dripping from the ceiling is still falling from the last time I was here.

"Ow!" I year Victoria scream. Turning, I see her shaking her hand out and glaring at the wall, making it obvious to us all what made her scream. "It's _coooolllldddd_," she complains, a whine actually entering her voice.

Laughing, I decide to inform her of a detail she hasn't realized yet. "Well, duh. What do you expect in the mountains with snow right outside the entrance of the cave?"

"No way!" Kyle calls, rushing to look outside with Jen and Erik right behind him. "Whoa! You're right!"

I nod, but in my head, my thoughts are furious. _Of course I'm right! This is _my_ paradise! Besides, I'm the one that teleported us here!_

_Erika, you need to calm down, _Brandon says into my head calmly. _Alexa can feel your anger and wants you to calm down. She can tell you're fighting to hide it from the others, which is the only thing keeping her from comforting you herself. _I silently take a deep breath and let it out just as quietly. _That's it, Erika. Keep doing that. Yelling at Kyle won't succeed in doing anything._ I roll my eyes at him, fighting back a smile. _And that's the Erika I know and love._

_Weeellll… Since Kyle's decided to be annoying, why don't you tell Victoria we're going to have a huge snowball fight and she can hit him with the snow all she wants, _I suggest, my mind's tone full of mischievousness.

Brandon sends pictures of faces grinning evilly and eyes full of evil glints, exactly what I'd look like right now if I wasn't trying to hide my plan. _She can't wait to do it. She agrees that he earns it – at any time._

My shoulders shake in silent laughter, though I'm careful to keep my face blank so that I don't confuse the others or give away the secret plan. Victoria catches my eye, puts her thumb and index finger together so that they make a circle, and spins them until she can give me a thumbs up; _Great plan_. I smile and thank her.

"Let's go search outside!" Kyle calls back to those of us still in the cave, obviously getting anxious to be out in the snow as he's jumping from foot to foot in his excitement. The rest of us roll our eyes at each other before moving towards the entrance, following Kyle, Jen, and Erik out as they run ahead of us.

The others all stop when we reach the entrance, staring out at the huge field covered in thick, white snow that will go up to our ankles. The trees at the edge of the clearing have green sticking out of the white just slightly. I can just barely make out the edge of a frozen pond in between some of the trees off to our right.

I step into the deep snow, feeling it go into my shoes. One of the advantages of my paradise is the fact that the snow isn't freezing; in fact, it's just like water would be on a fall day. Sighing, I take off my shoes and socks, throwing them back into the cave, and then pull Alexa into the snow. She tries to protest, probably something about the cold, and then suddenly stops short in her protests once she's in the snow and realizes that it isn't freezing cold like we've been told snow really is.

Smiling, she pulls Brandon in after taking off her shoes and socks as well. Brandon had already taken off his shoes and was then helping Alexa pull Shawn and Victoria into the snow.

Once all of us are in the snow without shoes on, we follow the footprints of the others, trying to see where they had gone. Looking ahead, I can tell that they went right to the pond, giving me an idea.

_Tell Victoria that we're headed to a pond,_ I send to Brandon, not willing to risk the others understanding the hand signals. _Also tell her that if she tries it, she could probably sneak off to the side and hide her prints in the snow so that they won't know she's coming or that she had left us._

_She's trying hard not to laugh. _I look at her and see her truly trying not to laugh. _She loves the idea and is going to use it. She'll meet us at the pond on the other side._

Victoria suddenly cuts away from the group, leaving no evidence of her leaving in her wake. The others either don't notice or they decide not to comment, so I keep quiet, not wanting to ruin it. The rest of us continued following their path to the pond until we finally got there, spotting Jen, Kyle, and Erik sitting on a boulder by the frozen pond. While Erik is watching the five of us walk over, Jen and Kyle are looking at the pond with thoughtful expressions, which worries me. Kyle especially looks as if he's got an idea that none of us will like.

As we get closer, Kyle suddenly stands up, his hands above his head. I stop in shock as I realize what he's about to do, the others passing me. Watching him, I see balls of fire in his palms, which he proceeds to throw straight into the middle of the pond. The others freeze as the fire hits the ice, unable to believe he had just done that. I just continue to watch as he does it over and over, barely noticing everyone else but Jen looking between Kyle and me.

Truthfully, saying I'm shocked is a massive understatement right now as I can't even think properly. My brain shut down as I had watched him do that and it's only just now turning on again, making my thoughts and emotions almost inexistent. All my mind is really doing is keeping the basics going; I can smell, see, breathe, hear, feel, and my heart is beating. Otherwise, I'm doing nothing.

"Kyle, what are you doing?!" Shawn yells at him, setting my mind into overdrive as it tries to catch up with what's going on.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Kyle replies calmly, turning his head slightly to look at us without stopping his fire before he looks back at the pond completely.

"Attacking Erika's world; that's what!" That gets Kyle to stop while he turns to completely face us, or most specifically, me.

"And is Erika complaining?" he asks quietly, looking right at my face.

Realizing I'm unable to say anything at the moment, Brandon speaks for me. "She doesn't know what to think of the situation. When she first realized what you were doing, she froze; once you started to actually act, her brain did virtually nothing but keep her alive and use her senses. She literally couldn't think or feel emotions. Right now, she's still trying to figure out what's going on." He pauses and looks at me in the eyes for a moment before turning back to Kyle. "The best thing to do would be to explain yourself so that her mind can start thinking again."

"I shouldn't have to explain myself to you all," Kyle complains.

"But you need to anyway," Victoria says from behind Kyle, making him spin around to see her stepping off the pond, which she had been walking across by literally walking on the water. It's nothing new to any of us as we found out that part of her powers during our second sleep in here.

"Why is everyone against me?!" Kyle yells while looking up at the sky with his hands thrown up into the air.

"Because we all just watched you do damage to Erika's dreamland, or her paradise, as she calls it," Victoria replies as Kyle's arms fall back to his sides. "This isn't your world, so you shouldn't be doing something like that without _her_ permission, no matter what the reason."

"Argh!" he yells as his eyes close and his hands go up to the side of his head. "All I was doing was melting the ice so that we could go into the water!"

"Yeah…" I mutter quietly but just loud enough to silence anything else he was going to say as he turns to face me, "but you're messing with my world as you do it. There's a reason this pond is frozen while the lake we swam at in the forest is normal; this pond is for skating on or playing a fun version of tag as we're sliding on ice." I close my eyes and take a small breath, waiting for the response.

"Really?" Kyle asks, quiet for once in his shame and guilt.

"Yeah. I brought us here so that I could show you it."

"I – I'm sorry, then."

I shake my head, my eyes still closed. "It's fine. Let's just nag Victoria into trying to see if her powers can fix it without me having to do it."

"Wh-what?"

"You should be able to freeze water, Victoria. It's part of water, you know."

Silence follows that statement until Jen speaks, making me open my eyes so that I can see her at her spot on the boulder, "How is it that Erika seems to figure things out about the elemental powers better than any of us, yet she doesn't have any?"

Much to my embarrassment, Shawn says, "I have no idea, but I think it has something to do with the face that she's the youngest _and_ the smartest of us all." I begin to blush as some of the others agree with that statement, though I try to push it down unsuccessfully.

"I'm not –" I begin, only to be interrupted.

"Yes you are, Erika," Alexa says, looking me straight in the eyes. "You may be embarrassed by this, but the rest of us all know that you're the smartest of us, though not in all things."

Shaking my head and sighing in defeat, I tell Victoria by signs to try. I smile proudly as everyone else by Erik looks confused by the sighs even as I see Victoria nod in response. Ever since we had all exchanged memories, the three of us had worked on created a modified version of our language; many signs now had two meanings, the ones everyone knew and the ones only the three of us knew.

It may annoy the others, but we'd prefer to have our own language as well as one with them. Even though we all know one another in this family, we all have ties with each other that make each person closer to some than others. Erik, Victoria, and I are all so close that if it weren't for the fact that we know we aren't related and we're slightly different in age, you'd think we were triplets. Alexa and I are closer than most as well, just in a different way; we're actually related and we just have some sort of connection that's impossible to explain. Brandon is close to only Alexa and me, but for completely different reasons. Kyle isn't close to any while Shawn and Jen are only close to each other.

Pulling my head out of my thoughts, I was as Victoria puts her hand into the water and gets a look of concentration on her face. Looking at the water, I see it freezing yet again, confirming my idea. In less than a minute, the entire pond is back to normal and even a bit more slippery, which is perfect for what we're going to do.

Victoria smiles up at me in happiness, thanks, and pride. I flash her a quick smile before I walk over to the pond, trying to decide how to show them the game. Erik decides to fix that by coming up behind me and pushing me onto the ice before I can turn fully, following me as I slide and try to catch my balance. Once I have it back, I go after him, sliding easily over the ice as I've done this countless times while none of them have done it before.

I shove my shoulder into his side, pushing him sideways until he loses his balance and falls onto his butt, a sound of pain escaping his lips. I smile, but then I hear someone coming from my side and turn just in time to see Victoria slide into me, knocking us both over. Laughing, I get up slowly and then help her up carefully. Giving her a look, I twist my ponytail around my index and middle fingers before pulling on it twice. _Revenge?_

Nodding evilly as she realizes who I mean, she turns to face Erik and follows me as I go after him. He's just standing up as we each get on a side of him, grabbing the arm on our side. Fear enters his eyes as he realizes that he's trapped. Looking at Victoria over his head, which is just under our chins for now, I look towards a pile of snow on the other side of the pond and raise an eyebrow. She nods and we both start sliding towards it, dragging Erik after us.

Right before we reach the pile, we both stop and push Erik right into it. He's unable to stop himself before he falls head-first into the snow that goes up to his waist, making it so that we can only see his flailing legs. Each of us grabs a leg, making him freeze as he thinks we're there to help him get out; he has another thing coming.

Without even looking at each other, we move in sync as we force his legs forward, which is towards his back for him, and stuff them in the snow as well before Victoria uses her power to make the snow as hard as possible with him completely covered in it. With a look at my slightly annoyed expression, she makes little tunnels appear near his head so that he can breathe, making me smile and nod before heading back out across the pond.

Looking at the others, I see the rest of them playing a game of tag, though the look over at the pile of snow here and there, laughing every time they do. Watching carefully, I realize Brandon is it, sign it to Victoria, and then we join in on the game, careful to stay out of the way.

We keep playing for five whole minutes before Jen points out that Erik is _finally_ out of the snow and brushing himself off. Once he's got as much snow as he can off of him, he looks over at Victoria and me and scowls before it turns into a smile, telling us he's not angry. We smile before we see Alexa, who's it now, trying to use our distraction to her advantage and we turn our attention back to the game, just barely dodging her.

The game keeps up for so long that we lose track of time. Finally, I look up at the sky and realize something: it's turning red. While none of the others know this about my paradise, I know that the sky never changes color, no matter where you are. The thing is I had realized these past two days that the sky turned red when we were running out of time and then turned black when we had a few minutes left. To everyone else, this was never noticed, noted, nor abnormal.

"Uh, guys?" I call uncertainly.

"Yeah, Erika?" Shawn asks as he's the closest and the only one to have heard me, though him saying that got the attention of the others pretty quickly.

"This may be random but… what color is the sly?" I watch as everyone looks up, confused.

"Blue, Erika." Alexa says. "Why did you ask?"

Before I can explain, Brandon says, "Because it isn't blue for her."

"Brandon, get out of my mind _now_!" I tell him, not in the mood for him replying for me right now.

"What's wrong, Erika?" Alexa asks as she slides over to me and puts her arm around my shoulders.

Sighing, I reply, "When the sky starts changing colors for me, it means our time before we're woken up is coming. It's been doing this every time, but it didn't mean as much then as it does now since this…" I stop and can't finish the sentence.

"Might be the last time we see each other," she finishes for me. I nod in response, unable to actual say my reply verbally this time.

Looking at the others closely for their reactions, I see that the realization of my words is hitting home on all of them. Grim looks are covering their faces as they think about the possibility of this being the last time to see one another like this. The only thing keeping them from taking it terribly is the idea that we may actually be able to have these dreams, though they would be random.

"How long do we have?" Erik asks, looking up at the sky as if looking at it long enough would let him see it like I do.

"Twenty minutes at the most," I sigh while watching the sky get steadily darker by the minute.

"I guess we should each say our goodbyes to you three now, before it runs out," Jen says. "Come over here, Victoria." Victoria follows Jen and Shawn.

"Erik, come with us," Brandon says, leading both Erik and Kyle away from Alexa and me.

"They did that on purpose, didn't they?" I ask Alexa, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it anyway.

"Yes, they did. They love you all and know what you all want."

I turn to face Alexa. "I don't want to lose you again." I feel tears coming to my eyes against my will.

"Come here, Erika," she says, opening her arms for me. I run into them, hugging her and trying to stop my tears from falling. "Erika, you've grown up so well. You're mature and just a natural person to look to. Your world here is amazing as well. The thing is, you're still just seven. Don't try to grow up too fast. Even in Itex, you have a childhood with your friends; don't try to pass it up.

"You don't have to put up a face in front of all of us – we're all still so young. You're so young. None of us are adults, so we don't have to act like them. Just try to be yourself. Let your emotions rule over your instincts at times. You need to let things out."

Tears running down my face now, I look up at Alexa and I'm surprised to see tears falling from her eyes. Brown locks onto brown as we share emotions through looks instead of words. Hugging her tighter, I let even more of my emotions into it. I feel her arms tighten around me.

It feels like we stay this way for hours, but it's probably a couple of minutes. I hear footsteps coming and wipe my tears on Alexa's shirt while she uses her arm for hers. Turning, I see Erik, Brandon, and Kyle are back. Victoria, Shawn, and Jen aren't that are behind them.

Erik's worried look comes to his face until I smile weakly at him, letting him know I'm okay. He nods in understanding, though he still comes and stands next to me, his hand on my right shoulder. To my surprise, when the others catch up, Victoria comes and puts her hand on my left shoulder immediately while Alexa walks over and stands next to Brandon.

I watch as they organize themselves so that Brandon, not Shawn anymore, is in the front with Alexa to his right and Shawn to his left. Jen is behind and to the left of Shawn while Kyle is behind and to the right of Alexa. Both groups looks like Vs like this, each with their own leader.

I think about how this is similar to a pack with the older wolves and the cubs – they're the older wolves and we're the cubs. Together, we all make up one pack, but instead of wolves, we're birds and a flock. They're similar this time, but only this time.

"You three take care, and be careful. Watch out for each other like I know you've done over the years," Brandon says, staring right at the three of us.

Looking up at the sky, I realize that it's almost pitch black, meaning we've got two minutes left at the most. I look at the five people in front of me, the five people who were the first ones to bring me out of my shell of despair when I was three, and I realize that while they're my family, I don't need them as badly as I once did, or thought I did. I've grown up enough that the two people holding onto my shoulders are enough for me to be fine. Erik and Victoria had taken their places in a way, though the huge area in my heart for those older five is still just as big and theirs alone.

Looking back at my two friends, I realize something: No matter what happens to us, we'll always be close and we'll always try our best to help the others. Their eyes tell me that even if Brandon hadn't said those things, we'd have done them anyway.

"Always," I finally reply, my hands going to the leather cord around my neck until I reach the feathers and grab them tightly. I feel Victoria and Erik moving, following suit. "We'll always take care of each other and be there for each other, even if it's just in spirit or dreams. Everyone will always be there for everyone else; we're a family and this necklace represents that."

I look up at Alexa and she smiles, proud of me and agreeing with me silently. I give her a small smile and watch as she leads the other five into grabbing their necklaces as well – a symbol of our family, love, loyalty, trust, and agreement.

The sky is just about to go completely black as I say one last thing, "I'll always love you all. No matter what happens, we _will_ all find each other eventually. _All_ of us. The dreams will come and they _will_ keep us up to date on each other. We'll all finally meet up again, even if it takes another nine or ten years. _Nothing_ will stop us."

Everyone looks at me in surprise, awe, and respect, unable to say anything on the contrary after that statement. They all smile one last time before they disappear, one by one, just like that nightmare I used to have. The difference is that this time I know what's happening and it isn't anything terrible. Alexa, the last to go, gives me one last smile and disappears, her hands still holding onto her necklace tightly.

Victoria's hand leaves my right shoulder first, telling me that it's almost done. Erik squeezes my shoulder before he disappears. Finally, the sky above me goes pitch black. The darkness of the sky seems to stretch downwards as darkness takes over my paradise. Finally, everything is pitch black and I'm waking up, my hands still around my necklace and a smile on my face.

* * *

**Well... I hope this long chapter makes up for the short one last time AND it's on time this week! I'm proud to say I spent at least three hours today doing nothing but writing. I've got over 700 words of the next chapter written, which has a time jump again, and I'll be working on it some more later. Anyway, this was yet another chapter in the paradise. I'm not sure how many more I'll have like that before the memories (I decided to use random scenes from the dreams for the memory chapters), but we'll definitely have dream parts in random parts of chapters. Just... Not full chapters of them anymore.**

**I've got a new poll on my profile AND something else I wrote on my profile. Please, read what I wrote and then vote on the poll. I'm hoping that pleases my readers.**

**I'm done asking for memories and powers. I've got all I need and my mind shall make up the rest.**

**Please, Review and let me know what you thought of my chapter and the story in general.**

**Posted: 2/21/10**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

**One and a Half Years Later**

I open my eyes to see that I'm on my back and staring at a blue sky. Groaning slightly, I sit up and look around to see seven other people sitting up as well. Sighing, I try to see if I can guess who's with me this time. Looking carefully, I see Erik and Victoria are rubbing their eyes a bit harder than the others are.

"Okay, who's actually here?" I ask, not wanting to try very hard to guess who's here with me today.

Erik and Victoria raise their hands, though none of the others do. Smiling at them, I push myself off the ground and walk over to them, giving them each a hand up. Looking at the other five, I see Brandon is rubbing his eyes again, making me wonder if he had just gotten here.

"Brandon?" I ask quietly.

"Yeah?" He mutters, obviously still disoriented. "Oh, yeah, it's me. I'm just getting adjusted to the sun. You _know_ you're the only one of us that has no problems when you first get here. It's like you always have sun glasses on."

Snickering, I nod. "Well, when you're ready, you should try and get the others to join us in here."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're as bad as your sister; always bossing me around. It's easy to tell you two are related. I mean you two are so – Ow!" He stops as he rubs his side where I had just kicked him to make him shut up. "What did you do that for?"

"Brandon, you _know_ why she kicked you," Erik says, walking up to him and offering him his hand. "You baited her on purpose, trying to see if she'd take the bait or not." Shaking his head after letting go of Brandon's hand, he sighs. "You should know better than to bait either of them. In fact, you should know not to bait _any_ girl by now. You only live with two of them and have dreams with two others."

Brandon grumbles under his breath, obviously trying very hard not to be heard properly. "Fine…" He closes his eyes and faces the other four even though they aren't actually in the dreams. One by one, the other four start to rub their closed eyes, trying not to let any sunlight through their eyelids.

I smile as I watch Brandon using his power to drag the others into the dream. We had learned a while back that when Brandon's in a dream, he can drag in the other four, though not Erik or Victoria. Luckily, almost every time we have a dream, those two are both in it. It's probably because they're by me, the one whose world we use every single time.

Pretty soon we're all here and Kyle is making up stories about how he fought over fifty Erasers alone earlier that week. I know it's fake because Alexa is signing the real story to me from behind his back. All that had really happened was: he was put into a room with Erasers around the edges to make sure he actually did the tests. He never actually attacked them, just ignored them. I have to force myself not to laugh at it.

Everyone else talks about their testing this week and Erik tells the others about the different jokes he had told during the week. I roll my eyes at Victoria and Alexa while he does this. They both stifle laughs when they notice the movement from me.

Once we're all finally caught up on the week, Jen wants to go into the forest to climb trees while Victoria wants to swim and Shawn wants to fly. Groaning about the usual argument, I tell them that we'll all go to the lake by flying so that Shawn can fly, Victoria can swim, and Jen can climb the trees in the area surrounding the lake. This pleases all three of them, so we all take off, using the wind currents to have some fun flying.

Falling behind the group, I watch six of my friend enjoying the flight before looking down to see Erik running beneath us. He didn't want me to teleport him as he wants the chance to run for once. Sighing once again at his stubbornness, I watch Shawn using the air to do the more outrageous moves that would be impossible if it were for the fact that he's controlling the wind around him.

Finally getting to the lake, we all dive down and land along the shore of it, even though some of the others obviously want to dive right into it; we need to talk first. Jen starts to leave the group to go into the trees, but Shawn grabs her arm and shakes his head at her when she turns to glare at him. She's about to argue when the look on Shawn's face and the tightening of his wrist, though I'm the only one who noticed it, stop her argument in her throat.

"So _what_ are we going to be doing while we're here?" Erik asks.

"_I_ want to go climb in some trees!" Jen says, obviously anxious to get going.

"We know, Jen; we really do," I say, trying to calm her down while also telling her we're tired of this.

"Well _I,_ for one, don't want to have a water fight with the four of you again! I'm tired of having to dodge more than water!" Erik states, obviously wanting to stop our normal game. He sees Victoria open her mouth and quickly acts. "Victoria, your water balls hurt. I'd rather be fighting normal waves of water, not spheres of it that you can control to follow us, even when we go under the water, when we duck, or when we turn. It's just not fair on the rest of us."

Looking at the four elemental users, I see that they understand, but they still resent what he's saying, no matter how true it is. This is the only way they get to use their powers together, so they don't want to give it up. They love using their powers, but for them, it isn't as much fun to work with them alone as it is to use them together, which is the only reason the rest of us have put up with unfair water fights.

"Why don't you four play your own game without the rest of us?" Brandon suddenly asks, looking around the group.

"Huh?" a confused Jen asks.

"I mean, why don't you four go down the river a bit and have a fight over there with elements." He pauses and thinks for a moment before adding a comment thoughtfully. "Well, as long as Erika doesn't mind." I shrug and he picks out my willingness from my head. "I guess that's an agreement."

Shawn hits his forehead with his palm and keeps it there, his eyes closed. "Why didn't we think of that before now? We've been doing this for a year already!"

"Yes, we have, but we haven't really tried to think of an alternative for you four," Alexa says matter-of-factly.

"I guess you're right," Shawn says slowly. "So how-"

"Erika!" Erik says suddenly, interrupting Shawn without even giving him a apologetic look, which means something is up.

"Yeah?"

"Is the sky changing color already?" I raise an eyebrow in his direction before looking up at the blue sky whose shade hasn't changed in the slightest since we got here.

"Nope." Erik looks down at his shifting feet quickly, not willing to say anything in response to my reply. "Not again, Erik!" I groan as I realize why he's asking about the shading of the sky.

"Sorry," Erik mutters quietly, still looking down at his feet.

"It's fine, Erik," I sigh, looking around at the others. Alexa, Brandon, and Victoria know what's going on, but the others have no idea as Erik's never woken up in the middle of dreams shared with them. Jen, Shawn, and Kyle's faces show their confusion while the other's have looks of sympathy and sorrow, though no anger is shown at all.

_Erik's going to wake up in a minute; he needs to use the bathroom,_ Brandon says into my mind, obviously trying to tell everyone at once and not caring who hears. That or he's trying to make sure all of us are on the same page. I'm going with the latter as Erik's face is up a little, telling me he was startled by something.

_It's a bad thing because he'll wake Erika up when he moves, stopping the dream,_ Brandon replies to an unspoken question.

_She still falls asleep with her head on his chest as a pillow. It's nothing new. We've seen the memories of it from Victoria over and over. It's mostly just an inconvenience as once Erika's awake, we can't get back into a shared dream until the next time it happens._ Brandon pauses for a moment to hear a reply before his face gets an annoyed look on it and his mental voice mirrors his look.

_Kyle! It's not their fault that this is happening! If you don't get those thoughts out of your head, I'll let certain people in this group know what you're thinking. I hope you're ready for over a week with the wounds you'll get._

Looking around, I see Victoria and Erik are as amazed by Brandon's tone as I am. Oh, yeah, we've seen him angry before, but even while angry, he's always calm enough to talk – well, think in this case – normally. The fact that he's basically yelling through our minds as well as threatening Kyle is an amazing thing to hear.

Just as I'm about to say something, I notice my paradise getting darker quite suddenly. A quick glance around the group tells me that I'm the only one to notice it, forcing my head to look above me. The sky's shading is a deep purple, quickly going towards black, having skipped the colors in-between completely.

Sighing, I speak up, stopping the mental argument that obviously got personal, "Guys, Erik's almost awake. He's going to be out of here in a moment or two and then I'll be forced to follow him."

Alexa hugs me without saying anything verbally. Instead, she puts her right index finger, right middle finger, and right ring finger together with the other two tucked in, and presses them against my heart. A small smile gracing my lips, I copy her sign. _I love you_. It's a sign we came up with here in my paradise for only the two of us, none of the others ever even realizing we use it.

When we pull apart, I notice that not only is the sky black, but Erik's body is gone. With a final sigh and a wave for the others, I allow myself to be pulled out of my dream to the motion of Erik underneath me, trying to stop himself from squirming in his need to relieve himself.

I slowly lift my head from his chest, trying to do it in such a way that I can wake up and stop the chances of dizziness overcoming me. Erik, being used to this habit from every morning, finally stops moving long enough for me to get out of range of his body before he quickly sits up and moves over into the corner. I turn away from him and look over at Victoria's sleeping form, trying not to wish that I was in her position right now.

While she may have just been kicked out of the shared dream, she's still asleep, still dreaming. All of us may have nightmares here and there, me more than the others with my past and all, but we all have dreams before the nightmares. Victoria at least gets to enjoy her normal dreams for a while. It takes me a while to get back to sleep after Erik wakes me up like he just did.

I sigh quietly, causing Erik to turn around now that he's done and look at me with emotions flowing through his eyes: sorrow, sympathy, and apology. I smile lightly at him, letting him know that I don't blame him for this, that I understand that it isn't his fault. Relief joins the other emotions in his eyes, though the other emotions don't leave very much.

Sighing slightly at his worry, I motion him over to me again with my hand before patting the ground next to me on the exact place he had been laying just minutes before. Gratitude floods his entire body as he relaxes slightly and rejoins me in our section of the cage, lying back down on the metal floor in his normal position, his chest straight up and ready for me to use as a pillow.

Smiling down at him, I lay on my right side, my head on the center of his chest with my right ear listening to his heart beating at it's normal pace, slowing down as his body relaxes and begins to fall asleep. The movement of his chest slows as his breathing deepens, my own breath and heart doing the same. Closing my eyes lightly, I enjoy the sounds and feelings this brings to me, bringing a small smile to my face as I fall asleep.

For the first time since we started these shared dreams, I enter my paradise on my back and Erik's there to help me up. We're the only two in my paradise this time, sharing the dream alone. Smiling at each other, we go and spend the rest of the night at the lake, lying in the same positions here as we are in our cage in Itex, only moving to get slightly more comfortable or to talk almost silently. I never even notice when the sky gets darker and we begin to wake up, my eyes having closed in my own paradise as Erik and I are identical between Itex and the lake, both forms asleep in the same position.

"Erika, Erik," a voice calls, slowly dragging me out of my slumber. "It's time to get up." I don't want to open my eyes as I realize who it is trying to get us up. "You guys, it's time to get up!" Victoria calls again, confirming the thought in my mind that we aren't in my paradise anymore. "I know you two got up in the middle of the night for Erik's use of the bathroom, but this is pathetic!"

I feel Victoria grab my side, making me instinctively kick out with my leg left, the one on top and closest to her, to make her get away. Trying to burrow my head closer to Erik, while studiously ignoring Victoria and her muttered swears, I feel Erik silently laughing at the situation just as his left arm comes up to wrap around my waist. I stiffen slightly at the touch that he only uses once and a while, and usually while we're asleep so that I wake up to it, before I relax into the touch and feel myself begin to calm down from Victoria's wake-up.

"Victoria," Erik says while obviously trying to hold in a laugh, "next time you should make sure you're _away_ from us when trying to wake us up. You _know_ how badly Erika here takes to being woken up by surprise, especially after a shared night."

"I normally do keep away," she says, her voice obviously coming from the other side of the cage, "but last night wasn't one of the normal shared nights; it was ended in the middle of it."

"Actually, it _was_ a normal shared night," I say, finally pulling my head away from Erik's chest and turning in his loose hold of my waist so that I can see Victoria on the other side of the cage, her hand over her right side where I kicked her. "It just wasn't shared with everyone. There was also a break in the middle."

"What are you talking about?" Victoria asks curiously.

"What she means is that after we fell back to sleep, the two of us shared a dream with only the two of us, last night," Erik says.

"You _WHAT_?!"

"Shared a second dream," I say matter-of-factly, knowing that she's just trying to get the idea through her brain.

"I can't believe it," she mutters under her breath while shaking her head slowly. "Actually," she says to the two of us for sure, her voice louder and her head looking at us, "I _can_ believe it. If it had to happen to any of us with you, Erika, I'd have bet on either Erik or Alexa. I'm pretty sure it would have been a tie if we each had two votes; otherwise, it would have been very hard to choose."

"Stop joking around, Victoria," Erik says, his cheeks slightly pink when I turn to look at his face.

"I'm not! I'd seriously choose either you or Alexa to be the one to do something like that! Heck, it wouldn't surprise me if she _is_ the next one to have a dream alone with her. I'm pretty sure it won't be the second dream in a night, though." Victoria smirks as she says that final part, looking at Erik pointedly.

Using some of the sign language, Erik tells Victoria to _Shut up_ with some very… colorful language mixed into it, making her laugh and me shake my head and hit Erik upside the head. He doesn't even bother to ask why I did it, knowing he earned it but also thinking it was worth a very hard hit from me.

Shaking my head, I smile a half-smile at the antics of my two best friends, never wanting to let these moments go. These are the moments that make our family a family. These are the moments that make my favorite people in the whole world my favorite people. The antics make everyone who they are. None of us eight like to be separated, but we're all relieved by the fact that at least we're in two groups and have each other.

I sit up and move to lean against a bar of the cage as Erik tries to sit up. Still with a half-smile on my face, I try my best to relax as I enjoy yet another round of this amazing and funny show that makes up much of the entertainment here in Itex these days for us, trying not to let the idea of how bad the idea of being separated sounds take over my mind.

* * *

**Go ahead, kill me. Just remember, I can't write if I'm maimed, unconcious, or dead. Besides, I'm only a week late! Oh, wait... Sorry, the fact that I'm a week late IS a bad thing... Hm... How can I make it up to you all? Will two updates this weekend be enough for you all? :-P That's right. I spent over three hours today working on chapter 21! I worked an extra hour last night (staying up until midnight, I might add) to finish this chapter for you all! I had a REALLY busy weekend last week and a very busy week followed it! I'm sorry, so I hope a double update helps, even if chapter 21 is a very... emotional one...**

**Now, I hope you all enjoyed this fun chapter. I wanted to have some fun with them as well as show how they've been doing the past year and a half or so. Now, the next chapter is another time jump of a year, so... I'm sorry, but I'm trying to get up to a certain point...**

**Please, even if I _am_ posting a second chapter in a few minutes (once the AN is written), review for this chapter! It'll make me want to write chapter 22 this weekend instead of reading FF all the time.**

**Posted: 3/6/10**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**One Year Later**

My eyes snap open as I sit up. I then start to look left and right, my eyes darting all around to look around the room, trying to find the Erasers and my father somewhere around me. I barely even notice as Erik sits up behind me after being awoken by my sudden movements.

An arm wraps around my waist loosely, making me snap around, ready to attack, until I realize that it's only Erik. He pulls me close to him, his arm still around me, as I shiver. My mind is finally catching up with me and I realize that it had only been _that_ nightmare again. None of what I had just seen was really happening to me – never again.

I begin to relax as Erik rubs circles into my back, trying to calm me down, while he mutters that it'll be all right and that it was only a dream into my ear. I actually close my eyes as my mind begins to realize that exactly what he's saying is true; I _am_ alright and it _was_ just a nightmare. My breathing calms down, my heart right behind it.

Just as I feel myself about to fall back to sleep, I mutter quietly under my breath, not really trying to tell him what I say, even if it is to him. "I don't know what I'd do without you…"

Just as the darkness overtakes me, I hear him reply. "Neither do I. I don't think I'd survive without you."

The next thing I'm aware of is the fact that my head is back on his chest, his lungs and heart moving beneath my ear as he sleeps. Opening my eyes, I realize that he had managed to lie us back down without waking me up, falling asleep with his arm still around me. I smile slightly and close my eyes, thinking about going back to sleep.

Then I hear a noise to my right and my eyes open in a flash, my head turning slightly to see Victoria sitting up and looking at us with a small smile on her face, almost identical to the one I had just been wearing. She sees me looking and raises an eyebrow while looking down at Erik's arm around me, definitely asking me what that's about. Rolling my eyes at her, I sign one message: _Nightmare_.

Her eyes widen in shock before turning understanding. She runs her right index finger down the center of her chest. _Sorry_. I just shake my head to tell her it wasn't her fault and I don't blame her for what she had been thinking.

The shaking of my head rouses Erik and he begins to move around under me. Sharing an eye roll with Victoria, I sit up and watch as Erik slowly comes to awareness of his surroundings. He suddenly realizes that I'm not on his chest anymore and rolls onto his side, his eyes wide open as he looks around until he spots me. His body relaxes and he smiles.

One of the few things that all three of us are afraid of is for a repeat of what happened to me five and a half years ago. We don't want to wake up one morning to find out one of our group has been taken away in the night, never to be seen again by the others. The three of us are closer – closer than any of us had been to the other five, including me and Alexa.

"Man, Erik, you need to lose some of that tension," Victoria says, trying to be annoying on purpose.

"Oh, be quiet, Victoria," he replies, sitting up properly in the process. "We all know you wake up with way more tension than Erika and I put together. You're the one who needs to lay off the tension."

I put my head in my palm as the two of them start ribbing each other and trying to get a response out of the other. I decide tuning both of them out is much better than trying to shut them up or listening to them, so I start fingering the necklace still around my neck after two and a half years. I run my fingers over the feather that's gold and light brown, trying not to think about the person it belongs to while I do.

The last shared dream had been over a month ago, even between Erik, Victoria, and me. While that's happened once or twice before in the past two years with the other five, there's usually at least one shared dream between the three of us every week. I'm not sure what this means, but I'm really hoping it doesn't mean that the dreams are over.

The other two aren't as concerned about this as I am because we still see each other every day. For me, this is a worry as while they might not see the other five as often as I do, I usually see at least one of them every couple of weeks. The fact that I haven't told Erik or Victoria that I haven't seen the other five in a month doesn't really help, but I don't want them to start worrying about it.

"Erika?" I look up at the sound of my name being said by Victoria.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay? You've been playing with your necklace for at least five minutes."

"I'm fine. Are you two done arguing now?" I smile slightly as I ask that question, knowing it'll annoy both of them.

"We were not arguing!" Erik says angrily, not realizing that he had just proven my point.

"Uh, yeah, you were. You also just proved my point by answering like that; you're obviously still angry from the fight."

"Oh, shut up, Erika," Victoria says, knowing there's no point in trying to deny that the two of them had just been arguing away in front of me.

"Why? It's so much fun to bait you two; especially after you've both just finished baiting each other in the form of argument."

"That's why you were looking at your necklace, wasn't it?" Victoria asks, ignoring my last comment completely.

"You mean the fact that the two of you were arguing?" She nods. "Yeah, it was. I was tuning you two out and playing with my necklace makes it easier."

"I still say we weren't arguing…" Erik mutters under his breath, just barely audible. Victoria and I ignore him while we look at each other. I'm trying to make her understand what I was doing and she's finally nodding in acceptance.

Just as we hear footsteps in our hallway, Erik's stomach growls, letting us know that it's time for us to be getting food soon. In fact, just moments after his stomach stops growling, the door opens and the scientist with our food comes into the room. He silently walks over, opens the door to the cage, puts the food in, and leaves the room after locking us back in. That's all normal. The unusual thing is the fact that he looked at Erik with a slightly sad expression before leaving, his face going back to a neutral look.

Victoria and I share confused looks while Erik starts to eat without hesitation as he hadn't seen the look the scientist had given him. As Erik pays more attention to his food than anything else most of the time, unless we're verbally talking, Victoria and I hold a conversation with our hands, putting our forks down when needed to talk.

_What was that about?_ I ask, starting the conversation.

_I have no idea. It didn't look good. I really didn't like it._

_Me neither. His face scared me._

_Same here. I'm worried about what it could mean._

_Same. I can't believe the idiot didn't notice the face! _I sign, using the nickname we had come up with for Erik long ago.

_Me neither. It's as if he _likes_ being his own nickname._

_I know! I thought he hates it when we call him the idiot, yet he acts like one almost all the time!_

_I don't think we'll _ever_ understand him completely._

_I don't think so either, though we understand him better than he understands us._

"Can you two stop signing so fast? I can't understand what you're saying!" We both turn to face Erik, our faces masks of surprise. "What? I _do_ pay attention to more than my food, no matter what you two think. Besides, the facial expressions flashing back and forth kind of give you away."

_It's a good thing we added to the language in the shared dreams where he isn't with us, _I sign quickly.

_Yeah, otherwise he'd actually know that we're talking about him._

"Ugh! I said to _slow down_, not get faster!" We both smile at him smugly. "You two have been practicing the language in the shared dreams, haven't you?" We both nod, smiles still on our faces. "That explains it. Not only are you faster, but it's obvious you're both using signs I don't know. Only about half that conversation made sense to me."

_Good, because we don't _want_ him knowing what we're saying about him_, Victoria signs to me. I just nod in response.

"You two are… major pains in the butt!" We both start laughing at that, unable to hold it in. "Oh, be quiet!" That just sets us off even more, making him stop complaining.

"Sorry, Erik," I gasp once I have at least a little bit of my breath back. "We can't help it. Besides, we don't want you knowing what we're saying."

"Like I said, you two are major pains in the butt. You do know that, right?"

"No we aren't," Victoria says, "except to you." She starts laughing again while I nod quietly with a smile on my face. Erik groans and puts his head in his hands, shaking it slightly.

_Too easy,_ Victoria signs through her laughter. _He makes this too easy._

_Oh, I know he does. He just doesn't know that he's making it really easy for the two of us._

The sound of footsteps registers in my brain just slightly, but I'm having too much fun with my friends to really mind. Only the door opening and a person coming in finally pulls the three of us out of the mood we're in so that we can look up. My eyes widen as I realize it's Robert walking towards us, a grim look on his face.

"Hey you three," he says, his voice sounding sad, which is very odd with him.

"What's wrong, Robert?" I ask, not even bothering to greet him.

"I've got some really bad news that you three are going to hate," he says, his face even more grim and his eyes shining with sorrow.

"What is it?" Erik asks, making Robert's face grow even grimmer as he turns to face him alone. That's the only warning I get for the next thing Robert says.

"It's time for you to move, Erik."

The three of us stare at him in shock, unable to believe what we're hearing. Thoughts shoot through my mind, absent-mindedly going down to my hands in the form of signs that neither of them see.

_They're taking him away? Why do they have to take him away? He hasn't been bad! They have no reason to take him! Why him? Why not take me? I've been taken before; I've gone through the pain of being stolen from the people I love. I'm the one who should be taken, not him! Why are they doing this?!_

"Erika, you need to calm down." I look up to see Robert looking at me, his eyes full of sympathy I can't feel. "Signing away when the only two people who can understand you aren't even looking at you isn't a good thing." I glare at Robert, unable to form a sentence in my mouth, not even to defend myself.

_Why should I have to defend myself to him? Why should I even be looking at him? He's a traitor! He's going to take Erik away from us, from me! I'm never going to see him again and it'll all be Robert's fault. I'm not even sure if the dream will work anymore; we may not ever be able to talk again!_

Suddenly, I feel a hand on my arm, and I look up to see Erik looking down at me. He reaches his hand out and places it on my two hands, finally stopping my constant signing that makes sense only to me as I had just made up a whole new group of signs in my distress at the idea of losing Erik without even meaning to. I probably won't even be able to remember the signs, let alone teach them to the others.

"Why?" The question from Erik finally pulls me out of my mood so that I can look up at Robert, waiting for the answer, the reason that my life is about to turn into a nightmare again.

"The Director wants to have you fight with the other enhanced humans of the world. She's going to send you over to the East side of the world in the end. That's all she told us when she sent the orders to have you moved out of here today."

I feel an intense anger at the stupid director of this stupid company. She's about to take another person who means the whole world to me away. She's going to break apart our trio without even thinking about it, without even hesitating.

I look over at Victoria and see that she's just as furious as I am. While the two of us will still be together, it won't be the same. The three of us are so close that the idea of one of us not being here is unbearable. What's worse is the fact that Erik will be alone without one of us there with him.

"I'll leave and let you three… say goodbye. We've got to take him out of here shortly. I'm really sorry you three." With that said, Robert leaves the room and closes the door behind him.

We sit in silence for a moment before Erik talks. "Well… at least we'll have the dreams here and there."

I take a shaky breath as I shake my head and a few tears start to run down my face. "I don't think we do, Erik. I really don't think we do anymore." Shocked faces meet my own as I say that.

"Why not?" Victoria asks.

"I haven't had a dream with anyone in over a month. Not you two, not any of the others." More tears start to fall down my face as I realize how separated we'll be from now on.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't want to worry you both. You hadn't mentioned the fact that it's been over a month since the three of us had shared a dream, so I didn't want to bring it up."

"It doesn't matter," Erik says before Victoria can say anything. "We'll always have each other in our hearts and in the form of these necklaces." Erik holds his in the hand that isn't holding mine. "So what if we don't share the dreams anymore? We have the memories, the love, and the physical evidence of one another and we'll never lose it."

"You're right, Erik," Victoria says. "Besides, maybe the dreams will come back soon. We don't really know what controls them." I nod slowly, realizing that it's possible.

"Come here," Erik says to Victoria as he moves his hand from my hand to around my waist again and holds his other arm out to her.

She walks over and he puts his other arm around her waist. Both of us put an arm around him, almost at the exact same moment. Looking at each other, we both reach out with our other hands and clasp them together. Erik then puts his head on our clasped hands while we put our heads on his shoulders, completing the odd circle that makes sense only to us.

We just sit there, taking in the fact that the three of us are all still there, still alive. I take in the sound of Erik's heartbeat and breathing one final time, not knowing if I'll ever hear it again, let alone when. I hug him closer, not wanting to let him go, to lose him. He grasps me tighter as well and then we just sit there, unmoving.

The door opens and Robert comes in, though none of us move. We listen as he comes over to the cage and stops in front of us, crouching down to look at us, three ten-year-olds about to be separated for what may be forever. We hear him sigh sadly as he takes in the sight of the three of us, all together in such a way that it looks like we'll never be separated again.

"I'm so sorry for this, you three," he mutters, "I'm so very sorry. I really don't want to do this, but I don't have a choice. It's do this, or my family and I die. If I thought I could pull a Jeb and get away, then I would, but I know I can't. I'm really sorry."

I sigh internally as I realize he's referring to the only other group of Avian-Hybrids, the second group to get away, the one that's younger than us. A scientist named Jeb took the six kids away just a few months ago. The news has been all over Flint. Experiments took it as a new hope and many tried to escape themselves, ending up in their deaths by the Erasers. Victoria, Erik, and I had agreed to stay put, knowing that it would be futile.

"Please, you three, I really need to take Erik now. I'm going to get into trouble if I don't. I'll be the next scientist to die." The three of us look up at him in horror. "I've never told you this, but every three months, a scientist is chosen and then never seen again; all of them are killed. No one knows what makes them get chosen, but it's almost always failure to follow orders. Please, come with me, Erik."

Erik slowly removes his hands from around our waists, turning to face Victoria. He murmurs something under his breath into her ear and then kisses her on the forehead and hugs her. I watch as he slowly turns towards me, his face an emotionless mask while his eyes are tunnels of emotions, blocked to all but a few who can see past the thin blockade.

"I love you, Erika," he murmurs into my ear. "I don't know what I'll do without you, but I know I'll never forget you. You'll always be in my heart and mind. I'm going to live just to find you again, even if it's only to find you dead. I'll never stop searching once I get free."

He then kisses me on my brow and hugs me tightly. I feel a drop of water fall onto my cheek that isn't my own. As he pulls away, I see the unshed tears in his eyes and the love, sorrow, hatred, happiness, anger, and confusion in his eyes. Not all of the emotions make sense, but I don't care. I just raise my right hand to my cheek, right where the tear is, and then put that same hand on his cheek, letting him feel the tear and the emotions I feel in that one touch.

Tears fall from his eyes at the touch. I see out of the corner of my eye that Victoria is crying as well. I feel water running down my face and let the tears fall, unashamed to be crying right now. The three of us have the right to cry, and we do.

The next thing I do is something that surprises all three of us, but I know I have to do. I touch my middle three fingers of my right hand to his heart and push gently, using the sign that's Alexa's and mine. _I love you._

He closes his eyes tightly for a moment and when he opens them, he copies my sign, understanding deep in his heart what the secret sign that no one else has even seen means. Victoria comes over and they both do the sign, showing the love that the three of us share for each other.

Erik finally pulls free from us, moving slowly towards the door without his gaze wavering from the two of us. He signs a message to us: _I'll never forget. Not a thing. Not you, not my memories, not this language, not a thing. I'll always love you both with all my heart. You both are my world and nothing will ever change that._

I feel myself shaking as I watch him sign to us, fresh tears coming out of my eyes. _Erik, I'll never forget. I'll come find you, even if it means finding you dead. I'll never forget you._

Victoria's eyes are full of tears as well as she signs her own message after I'm done. _We'll always be there for each other in some way. We'll live for each other and never forget. I'll always try to find you._

As Robert closes the door to the cage behind Erik and they both stand up, all three of us sign one final message to each other: _Goodbye for now._

Erik's forced to turn around as Robert leads him from the room. The moment the door closes behind him, Victoria and I collapse, sobs escaping our bodies without hesitation. We hold onto each other for support, needing someone familiar to help us survive.

We both just let ourselves cry ourselves to exhaustion, not caring that it's still only morning, not caring that there's a chance we could be tested today, and not caring how we much look. We both fall asleep lying side-by-side.

For the first time in five years, I've lost my best friend. For the first time in five years, I'm falling asleep without Erik to use as a pillow. For the first time in five years, I feel lost. For the first time in five years, my life has been shattered so effectively that I don't think I'll ever survive. For the first time in five years, I fall into such an uneasy sleep that I don't sleep for more than two hours before nightmares begin waking me up, all of them similar to the one I haven't had in five years, the one that has my family taken away from me one-by-one.

For the first time in five years, I've lost hope, and I'm not sure what it'll take to make it come back.

* * *

**And _that_ was one of the toughest things for me to write, emotionally. The part from when Robert told them about what was going to happen onwards took me over an hour alone. I really didn't want to have to write this, but it's been planned to happen at the age of 10 since the beginning of this story, as Chapter Nine of Old and New Attack said would happen. I'm also sorry to say that there is more planned to happen within the next... 5 chapters or so that WILL have to happen, no matter how sad it may be. I don't want to write these sort of things, but I have to. They make up the down side of the story while the dreams and other fun moments make up the up side of it. Everything else is in the middle.**

**Please, tell me what you thought of this chapter in a review... Your opinions on this chapter will mean the world to me. I truly need opinions on this chapter as it was one of the hardest to write, like I said, and I want to know how I did.**

**Posted: 3/6/10**


	22. Chapter 22

****

Chapter Twenty-Two

**Six Months Later**

I slowly open my eyes, wishing I was still asleep and with my sister. Sighing loudly, as I know Victoria is awake and it won't wake her, I turn onto my left side and look her right in the eyes. The sorrow, disappointment, and despair in them tells me that she's as upset as I am that even after six months and three shared dreams, there's been no sign of Erik.

_This stinks,_ she signs, sitting up before she does. _I want to see Erik already. It's not fair that we get to see the others and not him. What could be stopping him from coming to the group dreams?_

_I don't know, Victoria, _I sign back with one hand. _I really don't know._

We both stop signing for a bit as I sit up, memories of last night flashing through our minds. Alexa had been talking to me alone for most of the night, trying to get me to actually talk, though it didn't work. She just kept on talking, using my signs to keep a conversation going. She was actually very close to getting me to talk when the sky started darkening, so we had to stop.

_What did you and Alexa do last night?_ Victoria signs to me after whistling to make me look up at her.

_Talk. She was trying to get me to use my mouth. It almost worked this time._

_That's what the others were doing with me too. I was actually talking again! _I look at her face to see her smile so large it's going from one side of her face to the other, literally.

_They got you to talk?_ I'm saying this very slowly as I'm trying to say it through shock.

For the past six months, the two of us hadn't held a proper conversation with anyone, only using our voices to say the new meanings of new signs. We both just hadn't been in the mood to talk once they had taken Erik away; it didn't feel right. Ever since the others had found out in the first shared dream, just a month and a half later, they had all been trying to get us both to talk in different ways.

_Yeah! _She actually used the sign for an exclamation point for that one. _It was different to be actually using my voice again. I liked it._

_And now you wanna talk with me, don't you?_

_Well… Yeah, but it's your choice and I won't force you._

_Talk first and I'll try it._

"Okay," she says, using her voice for the first time in over a week in front of me. "Well, the others were amazed that they got me to talk, but they also didn't realize that you and I _want_ to talk, just can't. It's too weird to be using our voices again after going months only using it to add to our language."

"Yeah," I say, thinking about more to add. I open my mouth to add more when I realize that my voice is hoarse and definitely hard to use.

"My voice was like that when I first started talking last night," Victoria says, a slight smile on her face.

"Yeah, well, not all of us were successful in getting our voices back during the dream," I reply, letting a little bit of my sarcasm slip into my voice, though I have a smile on my face. "I was actually really close to talking last night when the sky started changing colors. If it had waited ten more minutes, I'd have been talking _then_."

"So _that's_ why you came back to the group looking a bit annoyed," she says, trying to hold in a laugh.

_Oh, shut up, _I sign, using that switch to let her know I'm slightly annoyed right now.

"Oh, fine, I'll be nice. Anyway, I'm glad we're finally talking again, though using the sign language was more fun."

"That it was. Maybe we should find a way to use both every day."

"Why don't we use the sign language as we eat and whenever we have guests, and talk any other time?"

"Great idea," I reply with a smile.

"Yup, and speaking of guests…" The door opens just as she finishes saying that.

_Perfect timing, _I sign while sharing a smile with Victoria.

We both eat out breakfast in silence, using one hand to sign and the other to eat. We just talk about whatever comes to mind, not really caring what it is. Our silence sticks until a scientist comes and takes away the plates, letting us know that at least one of us will be tested sometime today.

"Oh, joy!" I say once the scientist had left. "I'm going to take a guess and say the tested shall be me."

"I have to agree with you," Victoria replies with a smile. "I just got tested yesterday, so it's your turn."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. What was it they had you do yesterday?"

"They've got another experiment that's like Erik, an enhanced human, and I had to fight him. It was way too easy, which made me think they had something going on around that test. I'd be careful if I were you today."

"Yeah, thanks for the warning."

The door opens just as Victoria opens her mouth to reply, so she settles for a signed _Good luck_ before the cage is opened and I'm called out to go for testing. I sign my thanks behind my back as I leave, knowing she would be looking for it.

I'm led to a room very similar to the one I used to use to fight the waves of Erasers, which makes my heart beat a bit faster. I know that Victoria said she hadn't fought Erasers, but she also didn't tell me about the place where she had fought the boy, so this might be another Eraser fight for me. I'm beginning to panic when the door opens and Robert walks in with two boys, a year or so younger than me, walk in.

I look at the boys, taking in their light brown hair and deep, blue eyes. The muscles on their bodies is obvious with the tight clothes they're both wearing, letting me know that these two are definitely like Erik. The main thing that worries me is the fact that they were looking around the room curiously for a little and then looking me over, as if trying to decide if I'm a threat or not.

"Why hello there, Erika," Robert says, breaking the silence as well their calculating stares. "As I'm sure Victoria has told you, we've got some experiments here that we're testing, so we're testing all of you at once. Victoria only faced one of these lovely twins here, but you shall be facing both."

He pauses to let me speak, or sign even though he never understands the signs as we won't let him, but I only raise an eyebrow, trying to decide if he's actually being serious or not.

"Yes, well, these two are both enhanced humans, as Victoria probably told you, and they should give you a challenge." I raise my eyebrow even more at that statement, remembering how Victoria told me they had been easy and she had come back to the cage without a scratch on her. "Yesterday, Victoria only say one of them, not both, and he was told not to go too hard on her as she hasn't developed any powers yet, though she really should have by now."

I laugh inwardly. These idiots haven't figured out that Victoria found her power a long time ago. We're careful not to let them see her playing with water whenever we're in the cage and she's _never_ used it outside of that room. It's actually quite amusing that they haven't caught on yet.

"Anyway, you'll be facing both and they'll be going full-out on you, so it'll be a nice challenge for you."

I just roll my eyes, letting Robert know what I think of that. I also spot the twins doing the same thing, as if they agree with me, though they probably believe that they'll beat me easily. They've got another thing coming if they do.

"I'm going to leave the room. We'll give you two minutes to get ready and then ring a bell to let you know it's time to begin. After that, you'll fight for fifteen minutes before we ring the bell again. We'll decide then if we wish for another fight or not. Everyone got that?" We all just roll our eyes. "Well then, I'll see you all in a bit." Robert walks out of the room, leaving the three of us alone.

Instead of trying to talk to the boys, I go to the other side of the room and start stretching for a minute or so. I watch as the boys whisper back and forth to each other, looking over at me every few seconds, as if still trying to size me up. I just smile at the two of them whenever they look at me.

Once I'm warmed up, I stand there, waiting for the boys to stop talking and get ready for the bell to ring in less than a minute. To my amazement, the boys don't stop talking and are actually still talking when the bell rings. I just sigh and get into my fighting stance before moving quickly over to the boys.

I aim a roundhouse kick at one of their heads and hit it dead on, making both of them spin around to stare at me in shock, as if amazed I had actually hit them. I just smile at them and spin around to back kick the other in the gut – hard. I move away quickly as the breath leaves his lungs and his twin puts his head to the back of his head and it comes away with a little bit of blood on it.

They both stare at me for a moment before the one I had kicked in the head said, "But that's impossible! How did she get past it?!" I stare at him in confusion before I suddenly notice sparkles are surrounding the two boys. They're the same sparkles that surround me when I'm using my force field, which tells me _why_ they've been behaving like they have.

The reason they want us to fight finally makes sense to me: They want to see how people who all have the ability to make a force field fight. I smirk as it's obvious the twins don't know I can make a shield, let alone the fact that I can _see_ theirs.

I quickly teleport so that I'm literally right behind them and punch them both in the back of the head before teleporting back to my original spot, confusing the boys to no end. I just smile innocently as I begin my barrage of attacks. I quickly start using my teleporting to get close to them and then let loose a variety of attacks before teleporting out of range, enjoying the fact that the two boys can't stop me from doing it.

In fact, it seems like the two boys are still shocked that I can get past their shield as they haven't made one move to protect themselves or to attack me. Well, I guess I do have to admit that it could be the fact that they've used their shields so much that they aren't used to the idea of actually fighting as that would have happened to me if I'd known about that power from the very beginning.

Very quickly, the bell rang, and I hadn't even noticed the time go by… If it really had. I have a sneaking suspicion that the fight was cut short by the twins' lack of response. I _was_ beating them up pretty badly as both of their noses are broken and you can see small cuts covering their body. They're both also covered in blood.

"Well, that was interesting," Robert says as he walks in the door. "Boys, why didn't you fight back against Erika here?"

"She- we- she, ah!" One of the twins says, unable to complete a sentence. "You knew!"

"Knew what?" Robert asks, smile never leaving his face.

"You knew she'd be able to get through our shield!" the other twin screams, obviously angry and upset.

"I did not, nor did any of the other scientists," Robert said sternly, his smile gone. "That was in fact the reason we did this whole test. We wanted to see what would happen if you three were fighting. Our results are obvious, but the fact that you two didn't fight made it that much more difficult to determine some things."

"What do you mean you wanted to see the two of us fight that girl?! She's just a girl!"

"I. Am. Not." I say, my anger infusing into my voice as I walk towards the idiot twins who think that they're better than me just because I'm a girl and not made the same way.

"Yes you are!" both twins say at once, turning to face me only to back away as they see my glare that could kill.

"I. Am. Not. You two are idiots that need to get the thought into your head that boys are _not_ better than girls in every way! Until you do, you'll never be smart enough to be enhanced humans, let alone men. You'll just be young, stupid boys until it gets through your thick skull. The fact that I got through your shield without even realizing it's there and then _kicked your butts_ should be enough for you both to realize how biased you are!"

With that, I walk straight between them, hitting both of them with my shoulders, and go out the door. I just stand there, waiting for a scientist to come and take me back to my room, just like they always do. This may have been the first time I've snapped like that, but it isn't the first time I've left the room without an escort and just stood there, waiting.

Within a minute of my walking out of the room, a scientist comes and leads me back to the room, not saying a word and just locking me into the cage with Victoria. We both watch the scientist leave before Victoria even looks at me. I just stare at the ground, anger still radiating off of me as I fume at the idiocy of those twin boys who need a good telling off again just to get un-biased ideas into their thick skulls.

"Okay, Hades, what happened?" Victoria asks. She's using the nickname she gave me long ago for whenever I'm in a rage.

"Twin brothers," I manage to spit out between my gritted teeth.

"What the heck do you mean by twin brothers?"

"I _mean_ that I had to fight two stupid twin brothers that are so biased that they may as well strangle themselves before a female does it for them."

"Oh no, another Kyle."

"Right in one. It took me embarrassing him beyond belief, making him whimper in pain in the process, just to make him stop."

"Oh man, that memory was a priceless one to see. I was so happy when Brandon showed it to me, knowing I needed a good laugh," Victoria says, her eyes filled with mirth as the memory I'm thinking of comes to mind for both of us.

"Yeah. That was one of my better moments… and his," I say, my anger fading as Victoria helps me calm down by thinking about good parts of my past.

"Definitely one of his better moments," she agrees with a smile still on her face.

We both slide into silence as memories of the past take over, helping me let go of my anger much faster. The problem is that with each memory, the sadness creeping up on me grows more and more. I'm being reminded of the people I've lost at the same time as all the fun times we used to have together. I have so many memories, some good and some bad, of my past.

"ERIKA!" I jump and then look at Victoria, glaring at her.

"What?!" I ask, annoyed at the idea of her yelling at me.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past three minutes! It's obvious you're getting yourself into one of your moods; one of the ones worse than your Hades moods. Stop thinking about the bad things surrounding our friends and think about the good things, instead."

I sigh quietly and nod, giving in as it's obvious that she's right in this case. Even if I am upset over a lot of things in my life, a lot of fun and good things have also occurred, and those are the things I should think about, not the bad.

"It's… Just so hard…" I mutter, knowing that there are only three people in the world I'd ever admit these sorts of things to, and Victoria's the last one I have.

"I know. Everything about this is hard, but we just have to keep fighting until we get through it," she says softly. "You never know, we may actually get free of all of this some day," she says louder with a smile on her face.

"You never know," I reply, a small smile making its way onto my face at the idea of us getting free of all of this.

"What's the thing that the most hard, Erika? I'm just curious…"

"Losing Erik. It's impossible to think of this place without thinking of him. The fact that we have those dreams with the others every two and a half months, yet he still hasn't shown up in one since he was taken is just shaking me up inside. It worries me to think of him as dead, but it's hard to think of any other reason for him not to show up."

"I have those same worries at times. The thing is, when I think about it, I also think of how you're alive and right in front of me, how the others are alive and able to talk to us. It helps me get through this because I know that whatever happens, we'll get through it together. Even separated, we're never alone or separated. No matter how little we may be able to talk with the others, it lets us know that they're alive, well enough to talk, and that they're still with us in our hearts."

"We'll always get through this together," I say softly.

I'm finally able to believe that those words could actually be true for the first time since Erik had been taken. I'm finally able to look at everything positively, not negatively. Life may be tough, but we can all make it through. Even if we aren't together, we'll always be together in some way, no matter what happens.

No matter what happens… We still have hope.

* * *

**Well... This chapter was the "getting over the fact Erik is truly gone" chapter. It's also the first of four chapters that take place 6 months between each one. The last will be chapter 25 and Erika will be 12. That is the last I'm going to be saying on that topic, though I will give the hint that you may want to look at the overview of the story to figure it out. (If you don't know where the overview is... where have you been these past 21 chapters?!) Anyway, Erika and Victoria are now both over the fact that he's gone, though it'll still be rough. The next chapter, which is open on another screen as I type this, will be showing something a bit different. I think you'll like chapter 23 better than 21 or 22. :)**

**Anyway, please vote on my poll and review. Reviews really do make me write more. If you look, I got more reviews last chapter than the one before (as well as the ones from Vamp that we made a deal on :P) and now you get the chapter Saturday again AND I'm still writing!**

**Posted: 3/13/10**

**PS: I blame FF for the formatting issue at the top with the centering and underlining... *Mutters something under breath that sounds like cursing* Anyway, this was added after the AN before, which is why it's a PS. Sorry if the beginning looks weird... FF seems to hate me this weekend... And my laptop (which used to be my mom's).**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Six Months Later**

I look around the lake from my position in the middle of it, taking in the silent of my paradise. I had appeared standing, next to my lake, and alone. All three of those things pointed in the direction of an alone dream in my paradise. All of them told me that I wouldn't see anyone else in my paradise. The problem is that I have this weird feeling I'm being watched.

Suddenly, I hear a sound from behind me; a twig snapping. I turn in the water so fast that the waves made by my movement take a moment to form. I look straight into the trees, not caring about anything else at the moment. I'm not even thinking about how my wings are soaked and can't fly, nor the fact that I could just manipulate the paradise to do my bidding.

Suddenly, something in the shadows moves out into the light and my breath catches in my throat. I just watch as the figure moves towards the edge of the lake and sits down on one of the flat rocks there, feet in the water and hands motioning for me to come. I move without even realizing I am, making the water push me towards the rock as fast as I can. Before I even realize what I'm doing, my arms are around the figure, my head in the shoulder of the right arm, and arms are around me.

"Erik, Erik, Erik," I manage to say, just chanting it like a prayer, unable to believe that this might just be real. I hold him tighter, not wanting to let go of my best friend besides Victoria, the one that makes the three of us whole again. I feel his arms tighten around me and his head is lying on top of my shoulder, his mouth right by my ear.

"Erika," he says, just once. That one word is enough to make tears come to my eyes as I realize it really is him. This isn't just my imagination. He's actually sharing a dream with me, just the two of us.

Finally, I calm down enough to take my head out of his shoulder and look up into his brown eyes that are shining with a happiness and joy like none I've ever seen before. I also see tears falling down his face, though I know they're tears of joy just like the ones still falling down my own face are. I let a smile come to my face as I look into his, taking in every detail of it just as he begins to smile as well. Our emotions had been so strong before that our faces couldn't smile; now they can.

Erik turns, pulling me out of the water and onto the rock next to him, so that we're facing each other. It's obvious by the way that he's looking at my face that he's also taking in every miniscule detail that he possibly can before this all is over and it's just a dream to us, not reality.

"Erika…" he breaths, his voice softer than I've ever heard it, even that time when I was recovering for months and he was trying to calm me down after nightmares. "Is this…" I nod, making it so that he doesn't need to finish his question. "I've missed you so much."

"I have too, Erik," I whisper, still amazed by the fact that he's really here. "We've all missed you. The other five… They miss you, but they mostly miss you because of how Victoria and I changed once you left. We didn't even want to talk for the first six months you were gone. Your leaving was hard on all of us."

"Erika, all of you have always been on my mind. No matter what happened, it was the thoughts you all that kept me going. I wouldn't let you seven go." Erik grabs his necklace tightly with his left hand while his right reaches out in front of him, waiting for me to grab it.

"None of us could stop thinking about you either, Erik. Victoria and I used our thoughts of you in many ways, but one of the ways was to keep going, no matter how we actually did it. You were how the two of us kept ourselves from just turning into soulless experiments." With that said, I reach out and grasp his hand with my own right hand, my left going up to my own necklace.

"Erika, I have to tell you… I've been dreaming of your paradise here at random times for the last six months. Not every night, nor at the same time every day. You see, the first place I was taken was Russia, though I was never specifically told. Next I was taken to Dubai, and now I'm finally somewhere in France. My time zone changes every time, which is probably why we haven't shared a dream before.

"Either way, I've randomly been thrown into this paradise, but I've never seen a single soul. I'm here at least once a week. This is the first time I've seen anyone while here. I was expecting to spend yet another day in a silent dream when I heard water being moved. I came here and found you, sitting in the middle of the lake and staring at me. It was my dreams come true.

"You see, whenever I'm in the paradise, I see ghosts of images. The ghosts are of you, all of you. I see you seven swimming, having elemental fights, flying, jumping around in the trees, and so much more. It's like I'm following you all around the paradise when you're here, and I'm all alone when you're not here. I've seen _you_ more than the others, but you've always been alone when not with the others. None of you have ever made a sound before now." More tears start to fall from his eyes. "I thought I was imagining things just to torture me."

I grip his hand tighter with my own, unable to believe the pain he must have been through in the past year. Victoria and I may have been through a nightmare, but we at least had each other. Erik, he's had no one this entire time. Even worse, he's been forced to watch as the rest of us had fun, even if the images might not be us. I close my eyes tightly and imagine my memories of the past year in front of me. I start to weave through my memories, drawing up every image for Erik.

Erik gasps as it's obvious he's seeing my memories. I just ignore his hand tightening around mine as I left my memory take over myself, only slowing down a little around the times Victoria and I added to the signs so that he could learn the new ones. I show Erik the months of almost complete silence between the two of us. He sees the shared dreams between all of us, and I show him something no one else has ever seen: My times in my paradise where I'm completely alone. I finally finish and open my eyes.

"Erika…" he whispers, his tears gone in his moment of shock. "You didn't have to…" I silence him by squeezing his hand, which is obviously my way of telling him that I did it because I wanted to, not because I felt I had to. "Thank you." I just smile in response.

I'm still watching him as he closes his eyes and images appear in front of him. I watch his memories of the other experiments at the other branches of Itex; his memories of how the other branches treat them all; his memories of the other enhanced humans; his memories of the one called Omega, who's supposedly the best of them all; his memories of fights with the enhanced humans; his memories of his dreams in the paradise. All of his memories flow together in front of me and I take them in, adding them to my mind as if they're my own.

"Thank you," I say, truly meaning it as I do. Erik just smiles sadly towards me, showing me his emotions quite clearly. "It isn't your fault, Erik. The only one to blame for anything that's happened to any of us is Itex, which means the stupid Director. Oh, she had better hope she never meets me, or she'll live to regret it." Erik smiles slightly at that statement.

"Come on, Erik. We all miss you, so don't go all sad on us now. If we have you back, but you aren't the same, then that's just as bad as not having you at all."

"You all actually want me back? You're all willing to have the best person of the group back? I guess the fact that I can lift anything you give me does make it so that you all want me. You know, strongest of the strong." Erik is smiling completely now.

"Why would we want that? We just need someone without our beautiful wings to show off to. It's kind of hard to do that when everyone with you has wings already. Without you, we have no one to show off to, which makes so many things just boring."

"And here I thought you'd all miss me for the chance to been shown up by someone without wings." Erik is mock pouting, so I open one of my wings and use it to hit him upside the head. "Hey!" I start laughing, letting go of his hand as I fall onto my back. I hear Erik falling over too as he laughs.

"That's what – you get – for pouting," I gasps out between laughs. Erik doesn't even reply; he's too far gone into his laughter.

"Oh, man, I've missed this so much," he says when we've both finally caught our breath. "I wish we could do this more often. The experiments here just don't get sarcasm or humor. It's like the scientists have taken that part of them out, which is a major shame. It means I can't laugh about anything as it's awkward to be the only one laughing. You'd get the stuff I'm laughing about, but these idiots just don't. It's so sad."

"It sounds really sad. Want something funny to think about?" Erik nods. "Imagine Victoria's face when she realizes that she missed out on a chance to practice her sarcasm just because she didn't go to sleep early enough." Erik bursts out laughing as he realizes what I mean.

I had fallen asleep by seven last night. I had literally eaten dinner and then gone to sleep, barely any time between the two activities. I had told Victoria that she should get some sleep too, but she had told me that nothing good ever comes from falling asleep that early except waking up earlier, which she would never want to do. I had laughed and told her she'd miss out on something good because of it, but she just waved the idea off.

"I guess you just knew something was going to happen tonight," Erik says once he stops laughing again. "I'm glad you did fall asleep early. That's probably what made it so that I met with you in here. I went to sleep late, and you went to sleep early, which all added up to us going to sleep at almost the same time and here we are!" I smile at Erik.

I suddenly get a very evil idea and have to fight to keep the evil glint from my eyes and the mischievous grin from my face. Continuing to look normal, I move closer to Erik, which he doesn't react to. When I'm close enough that I can grab him, I stop moving and wait for the perfect moment to get very evil.

Quite suddenly, I push him right into the lake, letting down my mask so he can see the mischievous look I've been hiding. He glares up at me for a moment before he too gets an evil look on his face and he grabs my ankle to pull me in. Working fast, I make a force field around my nose and mouth, and work on it quickly so that it will let one thing through it: oxygen.

The moment I hit the water, I kick out of his grasp and swim deeper into the water, breathing as I go. Looking back once I'm far enough away that he can't see me, I spot him in the same spot as he had been just moments before. It's obvious that he's in shock by what I did. That or he's waiting for me to have to come up for air. I laugh at that thought, knowing that he's in for a long wait if he is because I can keep this up for about 20 minutes.

I watch as he ducks under the water and starts looking around, trying to spot me. When he sees me, finally, I wave at him and smile. He goes back to the surface and moves towards me, not realizing that I'm in the deepest area of the lake and it's hard to get down here without the ability to breathe under water.

Out of the group, only a few of us can breathe in water. Victoria can because she can use the water to breathe, though it's quite odd to watch. Shawn can because he brings air through the water to him at all times. Kyle and I are the last that can because we both use the force fields to do it. I had been bored one day and added my nose and mouth to my goggles during a water war, and realized I could breathe underwater when I thought about the shield letting in air.

I watch as Erik tries to get down to me. My eyes widen when he gets past the rock that none of the others had ever reached without air. I start moving away when I realize he's not going to be forced back to the surface to get air. Racing to the other side of the lake, I only look back once to see him chasing me. When I get to my destination, I look back and see him coming down from the surface to try and find me, so I start moving slowly against the bottom of the lake, using my power to manipulate the world to have the dirt cover me completely in a camouflage.

I snicker when I see Erik looking all over for me and just passing over me. Teasing him, I make the ground a distance away from both of us look as if someone is moving against it. He takes the bait, and I start to swim up to the surface fast. My shield isn't going to hold up much longer; I need to get air into my body without my shield up for a minute before I can use it again.

Breaking the surface, I breathe deeply. Closing my eyes, I let my senses go out and listen carefully to the water around me while I get my breath back. I hear a noise from my left, which is the direction I sent Erik in, and look over there. Erik's head is just coming into view, and I just watch as he looks around until he spots me. His eyes widen and his jaw drops, giving me a very funny face to look at.

He holds up his hands and starts signing to me. _You're way too good. I give up._

Narrowing my eyes at him, I reply slowly so that he can actually understand me, _Yeah right. Prove it._

I watch as his face shows annoyance before he wipes his face clean. _How?_

_You just answered my question. You aren't giving up; you're trying to trick me._

_I am not!_

_Erik, I'm not an idiot. You'll have to do way better than that to get me._

I watch as he mouths "Damn it" before holding up his hands with his palms facing me to tell me to calm down. I roll my eyes and let him know I'm doing it with signs. Instead of replying, he slowly swims towards me, obviously trying to tell me that he won't try anything. I let him come.

"Erika…" he starts once he's near me.

I open my mouth to reply when something catches my eye. "No…" I mutter, closing my eyes as I beg that it isn't true. Opening them, I sigh as the sight that I really didn't want to see greets me. "Erik…" I say in a voice that makes him look up at me in confusion.

"Erika, wh-" Realization shows in his eyes. "You saw it." It's a statement, not a question. "How bad?"

"It's bad," I sigh, still wishing it wasn't true. "Halfway done already. It happened while we were underwater, I guess."

"Dang it," Erik sighs. "Why?"

"I have no idea. It shouldn't be happening. We shouldn't be this far along yet."

"I can't believe you're going to wake up already!" Erik throws his arms above his head. "I mean, I should be first, not you!"

"Wait…" I stare at Erik as both of us realize what's happening. "You don't think?"

"Victoria," we both say at the same time.

"Dang it, Vicky, why now?" I moan. "Why couldn't you wake me up early yesterday, or tomorrow? Why today?"

"I don't know, but… Erika, when do you think we're going to see each other again?"

"I don't know, but I hope it doesn't take another year. If it does take that long, I think we'll both go crazy."

"I know we will. Though I have to admit that I have a weird feeling that I don't think any of us will like…" I trail off, really not wanting to finish my thought.

"What's wrong?" He lifts my head, which had fallen, with a hand and makes me look at him instead of the water around us.

Sighing, I realize he won't let me get away without answering. "I've just had this weird feeling about the gaps between each shared dream… I just had a shared dream last night with all of the others and… that was the first in six months. I didn't say anything to them, but it wouldn't surprise me if the gap is longer next time, though I have this weird feeling it will be the same length."

"So you're afraid that the gaps will get larger between almost every shared dream?"

"Yeah…" I whisper, looking up at the darkening sky instead of Erik's dark eyes.

"Well, then, we'd better hope we still see each other in the shared dreams," Erik says as he uses my chin to make me look him in the eyes again so that I can see the emotions swirling around in them.

"Yup," I sigh, reaching out to hug Erik, much to his surprise. I grab him tightly and feel him slowly move his arms around me before he hugs me tightly. Putting my head in his chest, I hold my tears in, not wanting to let him see that I'm crying over this. Because of this, I'm surprised when I feel warm water hitting the back of my neck, which is uncovered at the moment.

Lifting my head, I see Erik has tears falling down his face unchecked as he looks down at me with a sad smile. The sight makes more tears fill my eyes until they begin to fall down my own face. He wipes my tears away before wiping away his own, smiling as he does it.

The sky goes black, and we both touch our three middle fingers of our right hands to the other's heart while the left grabs our own necklaces. We both smile weakly as our sight begins to go black, and we lose track of everything but each other. Slowly, Erik begins to fade, and the next thing I know, I can only see black.

"Erika…" Victoria whispers as she shakes my arm. "Come on, Erika, wake up."

"What?" I moan, keeping my eyes closed as I try to force back my feelings towards Victoria for ruining the dream.

"Erika!" Victoria exclaims loudly enough for me to open my eyes to look up at her. "You were moving and then stiff over and over for at least an hour. You kept muttering about Erik and an 'Omega' on top of a pile of other things that didn't make sense. It was like you were having a nightmare."

I close my eyes as I suddenly begin to realize what had scared her. While I had been sharing the dream with Erik, his memories had been flashing through my mind just enough that my sleeping mind had reacted to them, even though I wasn't even thinking about that stuff in the dream. Because Victoria hadn't been in the dream with me, she hadn't realized that I was getting memories as well as finally seeing Erik.

"Well, I've got news for you," I say, a smile coming to my lips as I remember the irony I can put on Victoria.

"Oh?" Her face is showing her surprise.

"Yeah. Remember how I told you I was going to bed early, and you told me that nothing good ever comes from going to sleep early? And how I said you'd miss something good?" She nods to each question. "Well you missed something really good." I smile my mischievous smile.

"What did I miss?" she asks, obviously curious.

"Well, what would you do if I told you that you missed the chance to practice your sarcasm on someone who's really sarcastic?"

"What do you mean someone really sarcast- I missed Erik?! You're joking, right? This is just a joke. You couldn't have seriously seen Erik last night!"

"Oh, I most certainly did," I laugh, "and we really enjoyed the chance to use sarcasm again. It was also a laugh to think of your reaction, which is even funnier than the ideas we had come up with."

"Oh, be quiet!" she growls, making me laugh. "So, you seriously got to see Erik just now?" she asks, calming down and letting her curiosity take over.

"Yeah. I don't think I'll see him for a while, but I saw him," I reply as I sit up to face her properly.

"What do you mean you won't see him for a while?"

"I mean, he's over in France and goes to sleep at a different time. Today was pure luck that I saw him. I have a feeling it won't happen often." I sigh as I finish explaining, truly believing that as the truth of the matter.

"Oh man, that would stink," Victoria mutters. "I'd say I'm jealous," Victoria says in a normal voice, "but I can't be. Just looking at you tells me how much seeing Erik again, even if only for a little, has changed you." I give her a confused look. Victoria just sighs before moving to sit next to me.

"Erika, ever since he left, there's been something a bit different about you. It's as if you're only here some of the time." I open my mouth to say something but she interrupts me. "Yes, I know that we've all done it at some point or another, but you do it every day for at least part of the day, even if it is spread out throughout the whole day. You've been different, but the way you're acting now just says that the little time you had with Erik changed you again."

"I guess you're right," I admit slowly. "I've just missed him so much that…" I trail off, but Victoria gets what I'm trying to say and puts her arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah," she murmurs, "I know what you mean."

We both sit there, her arm around me, until I slowly lean my head against her shoulder and start to fall asleep. The last thing I remember is Victoria laying me down on the group and muttering, "It'll be okay in the end, Erika. Just wait and see."

* * *

**I'm soooooo sorry!!! Between getting sick, make up work, exams, Spring Break starting, being busy for over two weeks, and a lot of other excuses, I just haven't been able to write. I finally finished this yesterday and then kept forgetting to post it. I'm soooo sorry! To make it up to you, you'll be getting THREE updates by the time I go back to school Tuesday AND I'll have extra chapters written no matter what.**

**Now, onto chapter talk. Okay, I'm weak, but I knew I couldn't keep those two apart for too much longer. I hope you all like the way I wrote this. I thank Reader238 for one of the ideas in this chapter. You know what it is, so thanks! I also have to mention that while I wrote this, I was listening to the song Here Without You by 3 Doors Down, which fits the way this story was going very well except that instead of 100 days, it was a year. Anyway, this chapter was a hard one to write, but also one I was happy to write. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Even though I know I don't earn it, could you all please Review as well as leave a vote on my poll? Thanks.**

**Posted: 3/31/10**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**Six Months Later**

I blink and sit up, looking around me to try and gather my surroundings. I see all of my friends rubbing their eyes as they try to get the sunlight from my paradise out of their eyes. Trying not to laugh at how they look, I glance around and realize we're in a new place I've never seen before, which is truly saying something as this is _my_ paradise.

Standing up slowly, I start walking to my right, my hand out in front of me. I lightly touch the wooden wall in front of me, running my hand along it as I slowly walk around the big room. When I come to a window, I stop and look out of it to see an amazing sight. From what I can tell, we're directly in the middle of my paradise, though I need to go look out the other windows to make sure.

This window is showing me the mountains in the distance, though they're quite visible still. I can just barely make out the edge of the forest to the right form where I'm standing. What's even more amazing is the fact that it seems like we're all in a huge tree that's never been in the paradise before, and the tree is at the very tip of the hill, which is the center of my paradise.

I walk to another window and see the forest completely. I can even make out some blue that has to be the river. Another window shows the great expanse of gold-green field that extends to surround the hill and stops at the mountains and forest. The last window shows another scene I've never seen before: an obstacle course that's made out of wood and mixes everything together.

The course has things to run around, over, and through. It has a section to practice flying in all different ways. I can even see an area for swimming in the distance. Even better, there's a section for the others to practice elements in while there are sections to practice my shield in. Over to my left is the edge of what looks to be an area laid out for sparring.

I turn when I hear a gasp and I'm reminded that the others are all here with me for the first time in six months, just like I had guessed. They're all looking around the large, empty room in confusion. Erik is the first to see me watching them and he raises an eyebrow at me, asking if I was the one to do this. I shrug, shake my head, and give him a confused look. He nods and comes to join me at the window and gasps when he sees the course.

His gasp attracts the attention of the others and they all rush over to see what surprised him so much. I back away as they all fight to get a look out the window and just watch them as they all stiffen when they get a glance of the outside. The only ones to relax quickly are Alexa and Brandon. Brandon is still taking in the scene while Alexa is turning to face me.

Alexa takes one look at my face and leaves the group to come wrap her arms around me. I sigh and lean into her shoulder, turning my face into her hair that matches my own. I know that she wants to know why I'm feeling the way I do, which is shocked, amazed, and worried all in one, but I can't explain it to her.

"Erika, your mind does amazing things when you aren't controlling it, you know that?" Alexa whispers into my ear, surprising me enough that I take my face out of her hair and looking into her eyes. "I know you didn't do this intentionally, but this just seems to be the perfect place for the eight of us together, even if it wouldn't work out for you alone.

"Speaking of eight of us, don't think Brandon and I haven't noticed him. We're just the only two besides you that have because the others are too shocked by the way this place looks to notice much else. They'll notice him shortly." I smile up at her before we both turn to look at our friends, her arms still around me.

"Hey, Erika, did you make this?" Kyle asks, still looking out the window and sounding amazed. "It's amazing."

"No, I didn't make it, though I have a feeling it came from my mind without my knowing," I reply, knowing that answer would confuse almost all of them.

"What?" Shawn, Jen, and Kyle all ask as the entire group turns around.

"What she means is that while she didn't do this intentionally, it was brought about by her," Erik says, surprising everyone but Alexa, Brandon, and I as we all had noticed him earlier.

"Erik!" Victoria, Jen, Shawn, and Kyle all yell.

"Huh? Where?" he asks, looking around behind him as if trying to see who they're yelling at. "Oh, you mean me?"

Victoria, who's closest to the idiot, hits him upside the head. "Very funny, Erik."

"I thought so," he says with a cheeky smile on his face that I have to wipe off of it soon before it stays there all night.

Teleporting behind him, I hit him hard on the back of the head and then teleport back to my spot by Alexa, who had seen the look in my eye and let go of me just before I left. He turns around to see no one and quickly turns to glare at me, having figured out have had happened faster than anyone else had. I just smile innocently at him and wave. I can feel Alexa shaking with laughter beside me, though she's not making a sound.

"Why did you do that, Erika?!" he complains.

"Because you were getting a bit too cheeky for my tastes?"

"But – but," he says, unable to say anything else, and then groans. "I hate it when you're like this, you know that?"

"Erik, you're worse when you're cheeky than you normally are," I retort, speaking for all of us. "I can tell everyone agrees with me since they're all nodding." Erik looks around to see that all of the others truly are nodding.

"Argh! You all are annoying, you know that?"

"We know," we all say, Brandon telling us in our minds when to say it.

"Gah!" Erik says, throwing his hands above his head in defeat. "I give up!"

The rest of us laugh before Brandon decides to voice the question on everyone's mind, "How do we get out of here?" Everyone turns to look at me and I sigh, looking around the room.

"Uh… The door right over there?" I ask while pointing at the door right by the window facing the mountains. "Or the one right there, or there, or there?" I continue to ask, pointing at the doors by each window.

"What doors?" Kyle asks, his face showing his confusion, which matches everyone else's.

"What do you mean what doors?" I ask, turning to face them all. "I mean the ones by every window in this room."

"There are no doors," Jen says just as Brandon says, "Oh, I think I get it…"

"What do you get, Brandon?" Alexa asks.

"Only Erika can see the doors, and I can see them through her mind when she brings up the image. They're really there, but only she can see them."

"How is that possible?" Victoria asks.

"It's my world," I remind them, "so it's only reasonable that I'm the only one who can see certain things." I head towards the door facing the obstacle course, dragging Alexa with me. "Let's see if I can't bring you all with me."

I open the door and hear a sudden intake of breath from behind me. Turning, I see the others all looking at the doorway as if they're amazed it's there. I blink and realize that they must be able to see it if it's open and can't if it's closed. Smiling, I gesture for them to follow me, and they slowly do, one by one.

When we get outside, the others all regain their senses and rush to the course. Well, everyone but Alexa and Erik; the two of them stay with me by the building and watch the others begin to either use the ground course or the sky course. They're all laughing and having a good time while the three of us just stay silent for a bit.

"That really is an amazing course you've made, Erika," Erik says quietly, breaking a silence.

"Thanks," I reply, not moving at all.

"Erika, is something wrong?" Alexa whispers.

"Yeah…" I sigh, which makes the other two look at me as they hadn't thought I'd admit it.

"Erika, is it what you told me about six months ago?" Erik asks referring to the last time we had seen one another.

"Yeah…"

"What was that about?" Alexa asks after realizing that I had seen him not long after the others.

"She thinks we aren't going to see each other for longer than six months next time," Erik tells her when I stay silent.

"What?!" Alexa asks a bit louder than normal but not loud enough to get the attention of the others as she looks between the two of us. "What is this all about, Erika?"

"You know how I just know things with my paradise?" Seeing her confused look, I explain some more. "Like with the doors, when it's time to wake up, and how to manipulate it." She nods, understanding coming to her face. "Well, I just have this feeling that from here on out, every time we see each other again, there will be a larger time gap than before."

"Really?" I nod. "How – how big?"

"A year, I think. After that… a year and a half, maybe." Alexa and Erik are staring at me in shock, though Alexa is more shocked than Erik as I had already told him some of this.

"So you're telling me that I'm not going to see you again for a whole year?" Alexa asks in a numb sort of calm.

"Yes," I sigh, really wishing I didn't have to give her the answer she doesn't want to hear.

"This is going to stink," is all Erik has to add. Alexa and I nod in agreement without saying another word.

_Are you three coming?_ Brandon asks into our minds suddenly. We all look up to see him looking at us and the others glancing at us once in a while as they run the courses.

_Yeah, we'll be there soon_, I say in my mind before repeating it aloud for the others.

_Okay, but hurry up; you're missing all the fun!_ Brandon turns back to the course he's flying.

"We'd better get going if we don't want to worry the others," I sigh as I look at the other two sadly.

"You're right," Alexa agrees as she walks towards the courses, Erik and I following her.

When we get there, Erik breaks our mood by getting competitive. "I bet I can run that course faster than either of you can fly that course." Erik is pointing at two different courses.

"Yeah right!" Alexa and I say in sync even though we hadn't planned on it. "You're so on, Erik!"

For the next few hours all eight of us make different competitions and just have fun being together on the courses. Erik, Alexa, and I don't bring up what I had told them, and we all just put it to the back of our minds, trying not to think about it. Just before we all take a break, Victoria makes Erik and I fight in the arena, though I'm forbidden to use any powers, though I can still fly.

We both face each other, the others around the arena to give us room, and wait for the other to make the first move. In the end, my patience wins and Erik charges at me and throws a front kick. I block it and punch him in the arm, making him wince for a moment. We both back away and begin to circle to the left, which is a pain for me as I prefer circling to the right with my stance.

He suddenly comes at me with a side kick that I grab with my right hand just as I throw a roundhouse kick with my back leg, which is my left. Even though he blocks it, we both know that I skimmed his stomach, even if the others can't tell. I use my hold on his leg to spin him to his right and kick him in the back of the leg as I circle away. When he turns around, I'm already out of reach and watching as he limps just slightly from my kick.

This time he holds onto his patience, and I side-step towards him to end with a side kick to the gut so fast that the only reason he blocks it is the fact that his arm was already there. He's thrown back by my sudden kick and I spin around to hit him with a back kick using my left leg, which isn't blocked this time as he still hasn't recovered from my side kick.

Backing away, he shakes out his limbs before moving towards me slowly. Smiling internally, I let him, and wait until he aims a very sudden kick at me. Blocking the front kick, I don't notice the roundhouse kick following it until I can only move enough for my arm to take part of the hit. I back away fast as I try to get air back into my lungs and ignore the pain in my chest.

Circling again, I try to decide what to do as Erik suddenly tries to use my side-step move against me. I grab his side kick and hold onto it, punching him with my other hand before using my right leg to get under the leg I'm holding and hit him with a hook kick to the top of the head that he can't block. Pushing his leg away from me, I back away and try to decide if now's the time to sweep him and get an arm bar or not.

Before I can react, Erik rushes over to me, sweeps my legs out from under me, and gets a mount on me. I quickly pull my arms towards me so that he can't use them against me and then start trying to buck him off of me. He puts his arms above my head to keep himself upright and I try to push him up and over, just barely succeeding to do it with a huge amount of effort on my part.

Now that I'm in his guard, I move my legs into position, put my hands on his hips, and use my elbows to try and push his legs apart from around me, using my back to try and open them as well. I succeed only because I'm taller than him still, and quickly get a mount on him. He tries to buck me like I did to him, but I hold my own and grab his right arm instead. Holding it tightly against me, I sweep my right leg over his head as I turn my body so that it's next to his right side and my legs are on his left side, covering his body. Pulling on his arm and pushing my thighs together, I wait until I feel his other hand tap my leg and let him go.

I smile, stand up, and offer him my hand. He grabs it and I pull up a smiling Erik. Looking around us at the others, they're all staring at us in shock. We both look at each other after seeing their faces and break out laughing, which shakes them out of their shock so that they can glare at us. We both ignore the glares and continue laughing for another minute before calming down and walking towards them.

"That was… AMAZING!" Victoria yells.

"It really was, you two," Shawn says quieter.

"I can't believe you two fought like that," Jen adds.

"Remind me not to get you two angry," Kyle says quiet seriously, making both of us stare at him confused.

"Why would you not want us angry?" I ask.

"Because I wouldn't live to see another day."

"And making Jen angry doesn't get you the same results?" Erik asks in disbelief.

"Nope. She can fight, but you two can FIGHT," he says as if that makes all the difference.

"What he _means_ is that you two are amazing fighters that could probably defeat all six of us at once, even if it was only one of you alone," Brandon says, rolling his eyes in Kyle's direction.

I look at Victoria and sign one message too fast for anyone but her to catch. _Seriously?_ She just nods in response, shocking me to the core.

I look at Erik and see my own shock replicated into his eyes. We both fight that well? How could we fight that well and not know it? Is this what it means to be enhanced humans? I may have avian DNA, but I'm also a bit enhanced compared to the others.

"Erika, Erik, we all serious," Alexa says quietly. "You both fought at a speed that none of us could keep up at the entire time. We all had to take turns saying aloud what we were seeing just so that everyone knew what was going on in the fight. It was as if the two of you were on fast forward or something." The others all nod in agreement, making Erik's and my eyes widen and shock.

I'm about to comment when Victoria says something that shakes everyone to the core, "Erika, is – is the sky darkening?" I look up at the sky and my heart sinks as I realize we have maybe ten minutes left. I guess everyone saw the answer because when I lower my face to reply, they're all upset. "I'm sorry, but I just thought that we'd been here long enough for it to be time," Victoria admits quietly.

"It's fine, Victoria," Jen says. "It's better that we know early than just before it happens." We all nod in agreement.

"Guys." We all turn to face Alexa. "Erika thinks that we may not do this again for a long time…" All eyes flash to me and I nod. "This is her world and she knows it better than we do. She has a feeling it may be a while before we meet up again, though she's not sure how long." I carefully keep my thoughts away from how long I think it may be and let her continue.

"If she's right, then I want you all to know that no matter what may happen during the time before the next dream, we'll always be a family, and I'll always love you all." Alexa grabs her necklace with her left hand and puts her three middle fingers her on her hand to her heart. It's a slightly different sign that means basically the same time as the other one, but it's much longer. _You'll always be in my heart and I'll always love you._

"She's right," Brandon says. "We'll always be a family no matter what happens to us, no matter how long it is before we see each other again, and no matter how far apart we are. We always have each other." He too grabs his necklace and does the sign.

"No matter what happens, I'll always be thinking about you all," Jen says, also grabbing her necklace and telling us she loves us with the sign.

"We'll always be a family," Kyle says, not wanting to say much in the way of emotions, and he too copies the others.

"This is a family no matter what, even if it is a bit odd that the leader seems to be the youngest of us all," Shawn says with his eyes full of mirth as he looks at me while he says that last part. He first comes over to me and puts his hand on my shoulder before going back to his place in the circle we had unconsciously made and copying the others.

"I may be far away from everyone, and by that I mean on another continent, but I'm always thinking about you, always fighting for you, and always praying for you. I fight to see you all again, whether it be in dreams or in person. I love you all and I'll never give up on you." Erik's left hand lightly touches mine by accident as he grabs his necklace and does the sign.

"Even if there's a chance I can be separated from Erika, even if there's a chance I'll never see you all in person again, and even if there's a chance I may die in this place, I'll never forget the family I have and the love I feel for it. Nothing will ever change my feelings, nor my past. I'll always be with you all just as much as you're all with me." With that, Victoria lightly squeezes my hand before putting it over her heart in the sign and grabbing her necklace with the other.

"Yes, I'm the youngest in the group," I give Shawn a look as I say that, "and yes, I may be the one with the worst past," I look at Alexa, Erik, and Victoria at that, "but none of that matters because you're all my family and we all love each other. Nothing can change that fact, not even experiments done to us by the scientists. We all know each other almost as well as we know ourselves. We all have someone, or maybe more than one person, that we know the best in this family, and those ties keep us together forever. We are a family and no one can stop us."

I close my eyes and prepare to do a series of signs for them. Keeping my eyes closed, I begin.

_We are eight, but we are also one. Love ties us together, and those ties can never break. We're all friends and family. Nothing will keep us apart; not time, not distance, not hate. This is our life, and it's ours, not theirs, so it's ours to keep._

With that, I grab my necklace with my left hand, do the sign above my heart, and flash my eyes open. We all have tears in our eyes, but they're not just tears of sadness; they're also tears of joy. We all have small smiles on our faces and determined looks in our eyes past the tears.

As I see the sky go black, we all close our eyes and let life take us away from the dream because we know that we'll always be back.

* * *

**Well... All I can really say is that I wrote this all at one time two days ago, and I'm starting on the next chapter so I can post it on Sunday (Yes, I know Sunday is Easter, but I'm still posting then). I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I spent around four hours in a chair in my backyard working on this. (I had to enjoy the Florida sun because it's been beautiful the past few days!) Now, I'd better finish this note, post this chapter, and get back to working on the chapter that will make many of you want to hate me.**

**Please review and vote on my poll. That's all I ask of you. Even if the review is three lines and the poll takes you five seconds.**

**Posted: 4/2/10 (Be happy I didn't write the next chapter yesterday and post both chapters just to torture you by saying it was the last chapter on the 1st of April.)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**Six Months Later**

I groan slightly as I wake up to the feeling of someone shaking me lightly. I open my eyes just enough to see Victoria sitting over me before I close them again, turning away from the light in the room while wishing it would just go away. I moan and hit her hand away from me when she continues to try to wake me up as I sit up and rub my eyes, slowly opening them.

Looking around the room, I see Robert standing outside the cage with a clipboard that makes me groan again. Today was supposedly my twelfth birthday, which meant it was time for the checkup that occurs every six months. It involves a lot stupid tests on my part. What made it even worse was the fact that the scientists made Victoria and I do it an extra two times every year because we did the tests together and they had to check us both on our birthdays and half-birthdays.

Mumbling under my breath about stupid scientists and their stupid tests, I go to the door of the cage with Victoria and we both stand up outside of it, stretching to help us wake up before we follow Robert out of the room. He leads us down the hall, up a staircase, down another hall, and into the room that's normally used for this testing. It has scales, measuring tapes, weights, an area to fly in, and a place to run. The two of us walk in slowly and resign ourselves to the fact that there's no getting out of this testing.

A bunch of scientists are in the room with their own clipboards and are talking quietly among themselves. They see us as we come in and stop talking right away. Rolling my eyes at the fact that the scientists never like to talk in front of us, I walk over to the scale with Victoria following me, and we both wait for the scientists to finish preparing themselves to test the two of us.

One of the scientists comes over and has us take turns standing on the scare so he can weigh us in. After he's done, he sends us over to the wall with the measuring tool on it and another scientist measures how tall we are. A third measures the length of our wings while the fourth finds out our blood pressure, breathing rate, and heart rate. Robert himself has us hold a weight above our heads and then keeps adding to it until we can't hold it anymore; I hold more than Victoria because of how I'm also enhanced a bit. Another scientist makes us run on treadmills for ten minutes after _we_ set it at the pace we think we can handle. The last test is them watching us fly for a bit.

When the testing is finally done, Robert takes us back to our room and puts us both back in our cage before handing us our meal. We eat it quickly because we're famished, and then lay down to regain energy after the testing. While those tests aren't hard, they can exhaust a person very easily, not that the scientists would ever admit it.

"Ugh," I groan once some of the muscle pain starts to come through. "I _hate_ that testing. Why do they make us do it again?"

"Because they can?" Victoria replies as she stretches her arm.

"That's a stupid reason," I say as I stretch the leg muscle that's complaining. "Though I have to admit that it could be true."

"It isn't true and you know it, Erika," Victoria says, turning towards me.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it isn't true. They do it because they need to see how much we've grown in the past six months. I just _hate_ those tests!"

"So do I, Erika; so do I."

"Do you really think it's my birthday today?" I ask after a few minutes of silence.

"It could be, but it's not like we'll ever know for sure. I mean, we don't even know what the date is while we're stuck in this place."

"Yeah…" I say quietly.

Internally, I'm hoping that it is my birthday. None of us ever get told when it's our birthday, nor do we even know what date our birthdays are. The only thing you every really found out here in Flint is that twice a year, or so we all think since we don't have a calendar or anything like that, you go through a series of tests that are the same every time. Experiments call the tests the birthday tests because everyone guesses that they happen on your birthday and then halfway to your next birthday, though it's never been confirmed by the scientists.

Victoria takes one look at my face and sighs. "Erika, don't bother worrying about it. If it is your birthday, great; if it isn't, oh well. We're still going to say you're twelve today anyway because we know my testing was just last month, so we already think I'm twelve." I nod slowly. "Good, now let's play that game again."

With that said, we both start playing the game with our fingers in pure boredom because there's _nothing_ to do. Even testing is more entertaining than this game, though you won't ever hear me say that aloud. We only play this because it's better than doing nothing, though at times it's more interesting to just keep ourselves occupied in our own minds than to do anything else, so we do that as well at times.

This keeps us busy for about half an hour before the door opens and Robert walks back in. "I'm sorry girls, but the boss wants you two to be tested again, though not the same one as earlier. I wouldn't do it if it wasn't from the boss, but he says you've gotta be tested again."

Sighing slightly, we both go to the door of the cage yet again and get out of it. While we both may be bored and think testing is more entertaining, we'll never like being tested. It's hard to like something you've done ever since you can remember against your will.

We're led into the room where we had each fought the twins and go to the other side before turning around. We both know the routine in this room. The scientists get us in place, opponents come in, we kick butt, and they put us back into our room. It usually doesn't take more than an hour in this room.

To our surprise, two boys with light brown hair and deep, blue eyes walk in; the twins are back. In the year and a half since I had last seen them both boys had gotten taller and gained more muscle. Looking more closely at them, I realize that their bodies aren't the only things that have changed. Their stances are quiet different from last time. Last time we had met, the two boys had light stances that seemed to say they weren't afraid of anything and didn't fight much; now their stances told a story of fighting a lot and never calming down. The scientists had trained them to fight in hand-to-hand combat just like the rest of us.

"No force fields shall be used, and teleporting does not work in this room," a scientist says through the speaker in the room. "If we see any use of powers in this room, you'll be put into a room with Erasers for three hours straight at the minimum."

I frown at that threat because it sounds too familiar to what happened to me all those years ago. While the twins look a bit scared, they also look like this is the usual threat for them. Victoria's face matches mine as our eyes meet.

_What the heck?_ I sign to her quickly. _I thought they didn't do that sort of thing anymore. Why are they threatening the boys? Just tell them what to do and leave it at that; threatening gets you obedience, but it also gets rebellion in the end._

_I have no idea, Erika,_ she replies. _This is just as new to me as it is to you. If I knew what was going on, you would too._

_True…_

"Stop moving your hands like that!" the scientist snaps. Both of us turn to face the one-way mirror in the wall and glare at it, knowing that the scientist is behind it.

"Sam, you have to stop," Robert says in the background of the room where the mike is. "You don't want to anger those two girls, trust me. Leave them be and let them fight and talk how they want to. They'll listen to the rules and get done fast, so just leave them alone.

_What the heck? _I sign yet again, very confused by how the scientists are behaving.

"We're all on edge right now, so just calm down, Sam."

_What do you think has them all on edge? _Victoria signs.

_Inspection,_ I reply as I realize that I've seen this behavior from scientists before whenever they have an inspection or someone from another Itex branch visiting. _It's either an inspection or a visitor from Itex._

_That makes sense._

"Fine," the scientist, Sam, finally says as she gives in to Robert's words that had been blocked out as the scientist covered the mike. "You four will be fighting in teams with no use of powers at all. This is pure hand-to-hand combat. You'll begin in twenty seconds."

_You go,_ I sign without any hesitation. Victoria nods and we just getting into fighting stances as we wait. The twins also get into stances, though it's obvious they haven't been fighting their whole lives like most experiments.

The moment the bell rings, Victoria runs at them and hits one of the twins with a nice jab. She aims a side kick at the other, though he blocks it, before backing out. The twins don't move from their spots, preferring to watch our moves before they move, which is exactly what I'm doing. I have a feeling they've figured this out because they aren't watching me as much as Victoria; I can almost hear her laughing at their mistake.

Smirking ever so slightly, I quickly side step into a side kick for one of the twins, and use the momentum from the kick to do a spinning back kick into the gut of the other boy. Both are thrown back from the power of my kicks and the fact that they weren't expecting them. Using our advantage, Victoria and I began a barrage of kicks and punches on the two helpless boys, showing no mercy at all.

In the end, I decide to be nice and sweep the legs out from under both of them. I quickly get one twin in an arm bar while I just barely see Victoria flip the boy over so he's in her guard and get an awesome triangle lock on him. Both boys are forced to tap out just so that we don't break anything; Victoria's hold was chocking the boy while mine was making it so that my opponent's arm felt like it was about to pop.

As we get off the boys and we all back away from one another, we all hear a door opening on the other side of the mirror, footsteps in the hall, and our own door opening as Robert enters the room. He has a grand smile on his face as he gestures for us to all go into the hall. Automatically getting into a line, we all exit the room to find a bunch of scientists waiting for us in the hallway.

Instinct taking over at the sight of unknown scientists, I begin to back away from them without even realizing it. It takes Victoria putting a calming hand on my shoulder from behind me to remind me where I am and what had just happened. Signing a quick _Thank you_ behind my back to her, I walk towards the group while trying to calm my instincts enough not to get the urge to run.

While I recognize many of the scientists around Robert from meals, there are three I don't recognize at all. They're all male, have dark skin that definitely can't be a tan because it's too dark for it, though not black, and have brown eyes that are a bit narrower than the eyes I'm used to seeing. All of this together pointed in one direction for me: Asian. I don't know what sort of Asian, but they look Asian.

"So, have you made your decision?" Robert asks the Asian scientists in an energetic, yet somehow strained, voice.

"Yes, we have," one of the men said in a voice with an accent similar to one I had heard years ago from an Arabic man. I guess the men are Arabic.

"We want her," another man said while pointing his finger at… me. "She is the perfect one to use in our new test back in Dubai."

My thoughts move down to my hands in the form of signs that move so fast that only Victoria would be able to keep up with me if all eight of us was here, and I barely even realize I'm doing it. _No… no… no… It can't be. This can't be happening! They can't be taking me away. They've already taken everything away from me but Victoria, and now they're going to take her away too in the form of me leaving Flint! That's even worse. I can't leave Flint! Flint's been my home my entire life, even if it does have a lot of bad memories. They can't take me from my home!_

Suddenly, a hand slaps both of my hands, which were together at that moment from a sign. I flash my head up to see that scientist, Sam, moving her hand away from me. "Stop with your hands!" she yells at me.

I flick her off and continue to sign. _Stupid scientist. Don't try and stop me from signing because it – _She slaps my hands again. "I said to STOP!" I continue to sign, this time using every sign we've created for cursing over and over. She slaps my hands so hard that I can see her hand on my hands in the form of a dark red mark. "STOP!!!"

I back away from her and feel Victoria's arms go around me from behind. My hands are shaking outside of my control. I look up at the woman, though I'm not sure how I feel about her. I'm scared, angry, worried, determined, and so much more. I don't know what emotions go to her and what go to the situation.

"Sam, you shouldn't stop her," Robert says as he walks up to the scientist and puts a hand on her shoulder.

"She could be cursing all of us without us knowing!" Sam yells.

"I've picked up on a bit of the language by watching these two, and Erik while he was here, and I can tell you that she wasn't cursing in the beginning. She was literally putting her thoughts to her hands without seeming to know it."

"I don't care. She will _not_ do those things with her hands anymore," Sam snarls.

I sign one little message, just to get it out there. _I'm scared._ Sam sees it, rushes over to me, and slaps my hands as hard as she can even though they aren't moving anymore. The pain in my hands makes tears come to my eyes. My hands are now bright red and you can see that the marks come from hands.

I'm surprised when I realize I can still hear through all of this. What surprises me the most is _what_ I'm hearing, though who it's coming from is almost as surprising. Victoria is growling, literally growling, at Sam from behind me as she removes her arms from around me. She walks to be next to me, and glares at Sam.

"You will leave her alone!" Victoria yells. "She wasn't doing anything! She signs to let her emotions out in a way that won't hurt anyone or anything. Erika does nothing wrong, and you hit her to make her stop the one thing that might just be keeping her together!

"Ever since _you_ took Erik away from us two years ago, she's used signing as her release when things become too much or she gets shocked. _You _are the cause of her constant signing! Before _you_ took Erik away, she only used her signing to talk to me or him. Now that he's gone, she uses it at least as often as she uses it to talk to me as she does to just sign to herself, rarely even noticing she's doing it!

"It's because of _you_ that she's started to sign like this! You took away Erik, the only person I know besides her sister who can even calm her down more than a little. Her main sources of calm were taken away, so she's found a new one. Now you're trying to make it so that she can't even use _that_!"

Victoria is breathing deeply right now and my shaking has gone from my hands to my arms. It's slowly beginning to show in my legs as well. My breathing is coming in short gasps as I'm reminded of my father by this woman. She's trying to control me just as he did; she's hitting me, just like my father ordered the Erasers to do. She's literally bringing my worst memories to the front of my mind and making me relive them at the same time as I hear what's going on around me.

"Than that just means she's unstable and needs to be taught to stop the behavior! If she can't go without her stupid hands moving, then she'll just have to be taught how to hold them steady. I'll have Erasers teach her the lesson if I have to!" With that, Sam walks up to me and slaps each of my shaking hands in turn with all her might even though I'm only standing there listening, shaking, and reliving some of my harshest moments.

My head snaps up as I continue to shake and grit my teeth. I close my eyes tightly as I try to fight my rising emotions that are trying to control me. I barely notice when Victoria wraps her arms around my waist again in an attempt to both calm me and stop me from doing something rash. Unfortunately for Sam, Victoria is too late to stop it. I was already at my breaking point and that final hit set me over it.

My eyes flash open as I lose all control over myself. I don't even notice as I pull myself out of Victoria's arms, take a step forward, pull my right fist back, and bunch Sam in the face. No, the next thing I'm fully aware of is the fact that I'm standing in front of a woman who has a man holding a blood-covered towel to her broken nose while I'm being held around my waist by Victoria and the twins are each holding an arm, all three of them using all their strength. Over to the side of the room are the three Asian scientists, all watching the scene in silent curiosity.

"Are you sure you still want her?" Sam asks, her voice messed up because of the broken nose, blood, and the towel. She's also glaring daggers at me.

"Of course we still want her," one of the scientists replies after all three have a quick conversation in Arabic. "She had amazing self control, which is something we need in our testing."

"You call this self control?" Sam yells as she points to her bloody, broken nose with her free hand after rounding on the scientists.

"Yes," another scientist replies with the others nodding in agreement. "We see it as a lot of self control. She could have done much worse without even trying, yet she only broke your nose."

"Fine, then, if you're so sure and set on her, you can have her! I don't want an experiment like her in my branch anyway!" Sam turns to face Robert, her hazel eyes made of steel. "Take the two girls to their room; use the twins to get that one there." She uses her head to gesture in my direction. "She has an hour to say goodbye and I want her out of here in under two hours."

The boss of this branch turns on here heal and walks away from us, muttering under her breath about ways to get rid of Victoria. Robert walks towards us and motions for all four of us to follow him. Victoria keeps her arms around my waist and the twins don't let their grips loosen from my arms. I think all three of them can feel the tension in my muscles and know I'm still not over whatever made me attack her.

We enter the room quietly, none of us saying a word. Robert unlocks the cage and gestures for the twins to let Victoria help me into it herself. They both quickly let go of me and move off to the side, obviously afraid I might attack them now that my arms are free. Instead, Victoria just calmly helps me get into the cage for my final time. Robert nods at the two of us and leads the twins from the room.

Victoria hugs me tightly and I hug her back. Both of us are thinking the same thing: I don't want to lose you. We've both been alone before, but it's been so long for both of us and ever longer for me. I've had at least one person with me for the past seven years and Victoria for the past five. Something like that is hard to lose.

"I don't want to lose you," I whisper in her ear. "I can't lose you. If I do, I might just lose myself."

Victoria pulls back from me at those words, looking into my eyes. It feels like she's looking straight into my soul as she looks at me like that. I can tell she's trying not to glare at me after that last statement because she knows how I feel, but it's obviously hard not to tell me off. Then, Victoria does something that reminds me of everything. She grabs her necklace with her left hand and puts her middle three fingers over her heart with her right hand.

Without even thinking about it, my hands go into the same positions as my mind brings up what I personally said just six months ago. _We are eight, but we are also one. Love ties us together, and those ties can never break. We're all friends and family. Nothing will keep us apart; not time, not distance, not hate. This is our life, and it's ours, not theirs, so it's ours to keep._

"Yes," Victoria whispers, making me realize I had said the words out loud without meaning to.

I look her in the eyes and realize that no matter what happens, I'll never lose myself; I can't lose myself. I've got seven people to fight and survive for, even if it means going to desperate measures. Not even losing the last person will be able to make me lose myself because I know I'll never lose them.

I think she knows that I've figured it out because she hugs me again, and this time, we both cry silently. I feel her tears hitting my shoulder and back at the same time as I feel her sobs; I know she can feel the same things coming from me. We're crying because even though we know we'll never lose each other in our hearts, it's still hard to say goodbye after so long.

Neither of us realizes when our tears stop, nor how much time has gone by; we just continue to hold one another, not wanting to let go. Before we know it, the door is opening again and in enters Robert with a sad but determined look on his face. We let go, and turn to face him as he opens the cage to let me exit it for my final time. I turn to face her, my hands in front of me in my natural position that comes just before I sign. She looks down at my hands and I begin.

_Before you came, Erik was my best friend. Once you were there, I had two best friends. When the dreams began, I got my sister and the friends who are close to me, but not very, back. We became a family of eight even though we were in two groups. Then Erik was taken away and we both grieved the loss of our best friend because there's a slim chance that we'll see him again. Through the past two years, you've always been there for me, supporting me and helping me get over it. Just now, you protected me when it was obvious I was about to lose control of my emotions. Erik may be my best guy friend, but you're most definitely my best girl friend._

_Erika, _she begins in signs, _you've always been here for me, even when you're in pain or hurt. I don't know what I'd ever do without you. Erik and you are my best friends and we make up the trio of our group. No matter what happens in the future, we'll always be the trio. You and I will always be the best signers of the group. You'll always be my closest friend in the entire group._

With that said, we both just have two more signs to do. Moving my left hand back to my necklace, I use my other hand to put my middle three fingers on Victoria's heart. She mimics my movements at the exact same time I do them, as if we had rehearsed it for days. I close my eyes and breathe deeply as I enjoy one of the last touches I'll probably ever feel from her.

I open my eyes when I hear Robert cough softly and sadly from beside the cage. Slowly moving to the door of the cage, I let go of both my necklace and Victoria. When I get to the door of the cage, I turn to face her and go my final sign: _Goodbye._ I see Victoria do the same sign in return, tears in her eyes just like mine.

I slowly turn around, stand up outside of the cage, wait for Robert to lock my best friend inside of it, and then follow him out of the room. I only look back once, right in the doorway of the room that's been my home for seven years. Brown eyes meet brown eyes and the final goodbye is truly sent between them before I turn away painfully and leave the room.

I follow Robert down the hall and wherever he leads me to until I'm in front of the three Arabs. Robert's hand on my shoulder is his goodbye as he pushes me towards my new owners. I slowly follow them outside and to a van. They put me in a cage that's been literally built out of the floor of the back of the van. The cage can't move unless you break the van itself.

I'm locked in and I turn to look out of the back of the van through a window in the back doors. I watch as the gray building known at Itexicon in Flint, Michigan slowly grows smaller and smaller as we drive away. I'm being taken to the unknown, only knowing that I'll be in Dubai to take a new test and nothing more. I don't know what will happen there, nor who I'll meet, but I'll stay alive and fighting until I can't fight anymore no matter what. I'm going to find my way back to my family, even if it means trying to break out of Itexicon, which is almost unheard of.

I close my eyes as my home for the first twelve years of my life disappears from view. Tears silently leave my eyes and travel down my cheeks. I sigh lightly, lean against a bar of the cage, and prepare myself for the unknown.

* * *

**Um... Let me live? I hated this chapter almost as much as you all must, but it was needed and planned from day one. The fact that Erika seems weak is because that scientist brought back some bad memories of her father, not because she's usually weak. Other than that... the chapter speaks for itself. I'm just going to say that if I don't post on time next week, because I AM done for my Spring Break posts, it's because I'm doing something a bit different. I was looking over Old and New Attack and realized I need to re-write some of chapter nine. Plus, I might just get ahead of myself in this story and write a bunch of that story from Erika's POV since I already have the dialogue. I haven't decided yet, though I do know where this story will go from now on without a doubt.**

**Please, review and vote on my poll.**

**Posted: 4/4/10 (Happy Easter!)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

I'm pushed into a room by Erasers and land on my knees. I spin around to glare at them, but the door is slammed shut just before it comes into view. Trying hard not to growl in frustration, I turn around again and freeze, stunned by the sight in front of me.'

I'm in a room made of ice. No, not a freezer, but a room made literally of ice. It looks like a cave of ice that's white to blue and every color in between. The size of the room appears to be about half the size of the arena I used to fight Erasers in, but the ceiling is only a few feet above my head, meaning I can't fly in here.

Slowly, I begin to feel the cold through the long-sleeved shirt and pants that are reasonably thick, but not good enough for these sorts of temperatures. The scientists had forced me into them after literally cutting my old clothes off of me, muttering something about burning the old clothes for some reason. I've also got normal socks, which aren't very thick, and sneakers that are exactly my size on. Otherwise, I've got nothing else to wear.

Walking around the room to see what's in it, I realize that there are small caves in the ice made purely of ice; it looks like they just drilled holes into the walls of the room that are about four feet high and six feet deep. There are also some cliffs along the walls starting about halfway into the room. Otherwise, the room is just an area made of ice. It's actually what I imagine Antarctica to look like, though I've only heard passing comments about the continent at the bottom of the world.

I don't know why I've been sent into this room, but I know that I have to keep walking or there's a chance I'll freeze or get hypothermia, though I have a feeling the scientists will take me out before I die. Walking around the same area over and over is boring, so I try to make a game of it, though it's hard to begin until I catch sight of darker patches of ice in random areas of the floor, all of them within jumping distance of each other.

My game is very simple really. I jump from patch to patch, trying not to touch the lighter shades of ice, as I try to get from one side of the room to the other. If I touch a lighter shade of ice, I have to start over. Once I do it once, I have to try as get back to the beginning. When that gets boring, I start trying to use my wings to jump from patch to patch, but not the ones right by each other.

By the time I'm exhausted from all of my movement, I can barely feel the cold anymore and I'm much more used to it. The only problem I can see is sleeping in here because I know that overnight my body will get cold again, and I don't want to wake up frozen. Thinking about a solution just doesn't get results, so I go find the largest cave I can, it's five feet high and eight feet deep, and go inside.

When I start to get cold, instinct seems to take over and my twelve-foot wings surround me so that it's like I'm in a feather cocoon. Sudden warmth seems to go into my body, making me even warmer than before, which surprises me since I had thought I had been warm as I could be before. It seems my feathers are a source of heat; that or the heat reflecting off of them is warming me up just like a jacket would.

The heat lulling me, I fall asleep peacefully, not even noticing my hungry stomach or dry throat. In fact, I don't notice them for two days, and when I do, I just grab a bit of ice and suck on it to take away the dryness of my threat, chewing on more to try and cut down the pain from my hunger to a manageable level every day.

I don't know how long I'm kept in this room, but I spend every day making up new games that range from trying to glide just beneath the ceiling to sliding on the ice to jumping from the cliffs to practice using my wings to slow down a fall, no matter how small it is. All I know is that the movement keeps me warm, the ice keeps my thirst down just enough so that my throat doesn't hurt, and the chewing of ice keeps my stomach from killing me from hunger.

I could have spent a month in there for all I know. By the time I'm let out of that room, I'm so used to the cold that the hallway is making me feel as if I've just been put into an oven. I start sweating so much in there that my clothes are soaked within minutes, which seems to surprise the scientists before they seem to remember that the temperature is burning for me. They consult a clipboard, pointing at different things on it and whispering to one another, before seeming to agree on something.

A couple of women come towards me and lead me down the hall and into a cooler room, though not as cold as the ice room. I stop sweating as much, though the room is still burning hot to me. Inside the room is a table with a tray of food, three bottles of water, and a few glasses of milk.

Without even thinking about it, I hurry over to the table and drain two glasses of milk before I even touch my fork. Once I do, I begin to shove food into my mouth as if I've never seen it in my life before. I don't even know what I'm eating; I just eat everything on my plate, stopping here and there to drain a glass of milk or a bottle of water. By the time I'm done, I've eaten every last crumb and sucked out every last drop of liquid that the meal had to offer.

Finally looking up from the table, I see the scientists looking at me in only slight shock, as if they had expected this reaction from me. Shrugging mentally, I stand up from the chair I've been sitting in and walk over to them, waiting for instructions on what to do next. The two women lead me over to the other side of the table where there is a pile of clothes I hadn't noticed before.

Lifting the pile up, I see a thin shirt, light shorts, and flip-flops in it. Confused about the choice in clothes, I take off my clothes, barely even thinking about the fact that I've got two adults in the room because I'm so used to changing with scientists in the room, and put on the new ones.

The two women lead me out of the room and down the hall to a new room, gesturing for me to go inside. I open the door and stop in the entrance, surprised by the sudden change in rooms. Last time it had been freezing cold; this time it's burning hot. In front of me is a desert that's about three-fourths of the size of the arena I had used to fight in.

A push from behind forces me inside just before the door slams closed behind me and I hear a lock turning even though I never turn around. Looking around while I take a few steps into the room, I see very little in the room, though there's more than there was in the other room. I'm standing on sand that seems to be trying to burn my feet – I have a feeling it's going to succeed pretty soon – and I spot a few plants that look like what I've heard cactuses look like.

Other than that, I see a lot of different sized stones, some fist sized and some so large that they're at least as large as my cage back in Flint. There are also a lot of branches and twigs from trees around, all in very random positions. Some are just lying on the ground; some are slightly buried in sand; some you can barely see back of sand; some are sticking out of the sand with the tips of them buried; some are standing straight up and are just barely visible. They are also a lot of different sizes, some large and some small.

Smiling happily, I realize that this room could have its own games in it. The twigs and rocks alone could make their own games both separately and together. The ideas are just endless in this place.

The next few hours, or maybe an entire day, who knows, are spent making up games to play and even starting a few. I know from last time that there's a chance I won't be taken out of here for a while, though I still don't know how long I was in that ice room.

Thoughts of the ice room remind me of my thirst, and I look around the desert, trying to remember how you could get water in one. I can't think of one, and I'm about to give up, when I remember the cactuses. They have water in them!

Smiling just slightly, I walk over to one with a few branches and a fist-sized rock in my hands. My slight grin disappears as I realize I don't know how to get water out of one with the right tools, let alone with nothing but twigs and stones. I stand there for a few moments, tapping my chin with a twig, when I realize the answer is hitting me in the face – quite literally.

I spend an immeasurable amount of time, for me anyway, using the stone to sharpen the five twigs I've brought with me, making them into spears. I work on them all, smoothening out the sides and making the end not being made into a point into a completely flat end. My thirst goes from a light annoyance to a painful feeling by the time all five are up to my standard.

I take the thickest one, maybe two inches in diameter, and put the point into the side of the cactus near the top. Using the stone, I hit the end of it over and over at an upward angle until it's about four inches into the cactus. Carefully pulling it out, I look at the hole until I see water coming down it towards my eye. Eagerly wanting the water, I put my mouth to the hole without a care in the world except for my wish of water. Warmish, but still cool, water flows into my mouth slowly, filling it up until I swallow and it soothes my throat while I collect more.

I don't know how long I keep this up, but my thirst is finally sated as I sit down on the ground next to the cactus after sticking the twig back into the hole so that the water can't fall out. Now I just have to figure out how to stop my hunger. This one has me stumped for so long that I fall asleep right there in the sand next to the cactus before I even realize I'm falling asleep.

I wake up the next morning, and I have an idea in my head, as if it was given to me in my dreams. I rush to find a palm-sized stone that's flat, and then I find a few more fist sized rocks to keep in my pockets with the extra twigs I'm picking up. I walk back to the cactus and pull the objects out of my pockets, laying them in the sand next to the cactus that is slowly becoming my base in the desert just like that cave was in the ice.

Once I'm seated again, I take a fist-sized stone and use it to attack the edges of the flatter stone, trying to sharpen them. It takes me two days, or what are days to me as I go by when I fall to sleep to measure time so it isn't very accurate, two sleeps, and at least thirty water breaks before the rock in my hand is sharp enough to bring blood to my finger when I scratch it with enough pressure.

Smiling tiredly but proudly at the stone, I stand up and go to the cactus, looking right at one of the parts sticking out from it. Signing with my hands for the first time since I was taken from Flint after I put the stone into my pocket for a moment as I rest, I say, _Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this is most definitely a desperate time with this idea as a desperate measure._

After getting a quick drink from my hole, which is a new one on the other side of the cactus and lower down compared to my first one, I go over to the part sticking out of it. Sighing a bit tiredly after all my work and the fact that I haven't eaten in a very long time, I begin to saw into the middle of the thing sticking out – I don't have a name for it – because it's probably my best bet for getting food in this place as there are definitely no animals.

After a couple of hours of sawing, I finally get it off all the way. Signing to myself again, I say, _Who knew that the preparations would take longer than the actual work to get food and water in here? I sure didn't!_

Smirking to myself, I use the flat stone to saw off the spikes on my part of the cactus, careful not to let the open end go towards the ground so that it can't lose any water. After they're all gone, I slowly take a bite from the open end, and then begin chewing quickly. While it isn't like a good piece of chicken, the cactus is a lot better than nothing. In fact, it reminds me of some sort of fruit or vegetable I've had before, though I don't know which. Either way, it's both filling and helps my thirst, so I eat it all very quickly.

From then on, I spend the next few days, or maybe weeks, drinking from a cactus around the desert by using one of the sharpened twigs I always keep on me now, eating cactus after cutting it off and de-spiking it with the flat rock, and playing games by myself. I don't once complain, nor do I wonder why the scientists are putting me in here or wonder what they're testing. In fact, I soon adjust to the heat the same way I did the cold. I just don't feel it anymore.

By the time the scientists come and let me out of the room, the heat feels almost like a second layer of clothes. I'm also happy to say that when the scientists suddenly take me into the air conditioned hall after the desert heat, I don't react at all. _I guess the ice stayed with me_, I sign to myself, which obviously confuses the scientists because they're giving me odd looks while talking in Arabic. I just ignore them while I follow them down the hall and back into the room with the table and food in it.

Yet again there is a tray with food, water, and milk. This time there is more water than anything else, though I drink all of the glasses of milk, which is maybe six glasses, and then I eat the food, draining bottles of water between bites of food. Looking at the other end of the table, I see basic jeans, a T-shirt, socks, and sneakers there along with a hoodie. The shirt and hoodie have slits in them for my wings. I put all of the clothes on, yet again ignoring the scientists, before turning to face them curiously.

They lead me to another room for testing, though this one truly baffles me when I see it. I don't hesitate at the door this time, letting them just close and lock it behind me as I stare in amazement at the room. I'm in what seems to be a model of a city. I don't know how they have this in here as I've never seen the Itex building from the outside – I came to it knocked out cold by the scientists. All I know is that the city is amazingly tall, realistic, and has so many buildings that it reminds me of stories I've heard about New York, though I'm more willing to bet it resembles some place like Miami, which Victoria had seen while being moved once and described to me.

As I don't know why I've been put into this room, I let my wings out of my hoodie and being to fly up and around to see the something I've only seen for myself once in a dream and that was only in passing. The lights are sparkling from above, like a light show that never goes out.

"Is this what it's like to see the city from the air by either air planes or wings?" I whisper in amazement, using my voice for the first time since Flint for something other than laughing.

I'm about to continue when a sound to my right catches my attention and my head flashes in that direction to see what it is. I stare at the sight in front of me. I watch as a cone begins to grow from the ceiling to the ground, spinning as it does. Just as it touches the ground into a medium-sized cone, another sound comes from behind me as I see another cone, this one thinner, beginning to form and grown so that it goes to the ground.

Slowly turning to look around, I see that I've got a cone from each direction, north, south, east, and west, all headed towards me slowly. One is very thin, almost like a line; one is so large it looks more like a cylinder; the last two are medium-sized and look like normal cones. All of them are spinning air, and just as I realize that, my mind thinks of the name: Tornado.

Closing my wings and diving out of pure instinct, I land quickly, and rush into the nearest building, hoping that there is a basement but knowing there won't be. The tests are suddenly making horrifying sense to me. _They're trying to see what I can survive weather-wise,_ I sign to myself in my panic as I search for a basement.

Finding nothing to use as there is no furniture at all in this city, I rush back outside without even thinking that the tornados might be here already. Unfortunately, I probably should have as the first thing I see when I get out of the building is a wall of moving debris in front of me.

Gulping in fear, I think for the first time since I've gotten to Dubai that I want out of here. I slowly back away from the tornado, but it's too late. The tornado pulls me into it and I'm suddenly in a whirlwind, spinning out of control. I'm thrashed about as the debris hits me and moves me in odd ways while the wind buffs me all over the place.

Out of my control, my wings are pulled out of my shirt and hoodie. The feeling of my wings being almost pulled off of my back brings tears to my eyes as I try to fight the pain but can't. I can't pull my wings in no matter how hard I try; the wind is too strong for it. The most I can do is push them together so that they're straight and not collecting air.

Pulling my legs to my chest and wrapping my arms around them, I make myself into a ball with my wings straight out behind me. I close my eyes and mouth, letting the wind take over as it spins me around. My mind seems to detach itself from my senses and body as I seem to sit in midair without moving a muscle by my own will.

I can't feel anything anymore. I can't control my body anymore. I can't even seem to open my eyes anymore. I can't hear anything. I can't sense anything. I can't even try to use my force field or teleporting powers to do anything. I've literally lost control of myself as I sit here in the air.

I'm not sure how long I was up there, trapped in the tornado. All I know is that I've been moved between all four tornados over and over while barely noticing the transfer. I could have fallen asleep during all of this for all I know. I literally lost control of my body and my mind was barely working. I think it was only working enough to keep my body alive; no thoughts came into my mind through all of this.

The first thing I'm truly aware of is hitting the ground hard. I feel it through all of my bones as the ground jars my body. Flashing my eyes open, I watch as the tornados shrink back up to the ceiling from their original places and disappear, leaving a mess in their wake. Not only are all of the buildings gone, but they're all over the room in piles.

Looking down at my body, I see small cuts and bruises marring it all over. I'm numb all over and can't feel a single thing, not even the pain from before when I hit the ground. It seems that the only sense I have back is my sight as I can't hear, smell, or feel anything. I don't even think I can move at the moment as my eyes wander while my head stays in place, limiting my line of view as looking down at myself and then back up at the room was the most my body could take.

Closing my eyes, I feel myself falling over onto the ground as I fall asleep, exhausted. The idea of a person being in a tornado and not dying seems impossible, even to my mind, but so is the idea of a person having wings. I guess when the scientists say we're supposed to be really strong as well as indestructible, or as indestructible as they can make us, it includes surviving a tornado… or four.

Someone shaking me wakes me up, and I look up to see a white woman, which is a first here in Dubai. I'm not trying to be racist or anything, which is a term I heard from Erik through the dreams, but I've never seen someone as light as me since I've gotten here, so it's a shock. Though I have to admit, the fact that she speaks English and even sounds American surprises me anymore.

"Hey, I know you've just been through a lot, but you need to get up," she whispers softly and kindly, exactly like they were in Flint. I blink up at her as I stare into her half hidden hazel eyes; her black hair is in front of her face, blocking parts of it.

"There we go," she says softly as I start to sit up. "You must be strong. They began by putting you through tornados and then switched it to a huge category five hurricane. I think they're amazed you're alive, which is why they sent me into here to get you." I look at her in confusion. "I speak English because I'm also American, though I know Arabic fluently, and they wanted someone who can talk to you to wake you up.

"You shocked them a bit when you were able to spend three months in that room of ice. I think you amazed them even more when you spent four months in the desert, living off of the cactuses. You surviving a month in tornados and another month in a hurricane just set them off. I believe you're done being tested here."

"I _what?_" I ask shocked beyond belief at what she just claimed I did.

"I think the scientists were expecting you to last a week in the ice and the same in the heat, with maybe a few hours in this room. See, the point of the new tests here in Dubai is to test experiments in climates like heat, cold, wet, and windy. You were chosen for your survival instinct, ability to fight against the odds, and just because of the fact that you're not only an avian-hybrid but also an enhanced human.

"I think all of those together gave you the chance to survive. Your wings gave you heat in the cold while your body used the ice to keep you alive by using the nutrients from it as a food substitute. In the desert, well, you basically found water and your body used the fact that you've have harder times before without food to use its energy wisely until you could find nutrients in the form of the cactus, which amazed all of us. In this room, none of us know how you survived. The heat sensors and cameras we have in here showed us that you had curled yourself into a ball and straightened out your wings; you didn't move again after that until you fell asleep for two days straight after we stopped the hurricane.

"I'm guessing from your expression that in all three tests you literally lost track of time and this one especially." I nod slowly, awed by what she's saying. "Well, the only guess I can give you about this guess is that your exhausted body decided to lose contact from everything so that you had no idea what was going on with yourself. You basically went into a coma until everything was over, which I guess could be possible with how much debris was hitting you."

I sit there in a stunned silence, staring at her. I had lasted nine months through this testing, and I hadn't even realized it the entire body and mind had taken over and just let me survive when it was thought impossible. _I can't believe I actually did that!_ _I can't believe I actually survived all of that. It has to be physically impossible to do that. I'm willing to bet not even Erik could do that, and he was built to be stronger than me._

"Come on, Erika, it's time to get you food and new clothes," the scientist says softly, kindly while she holds a hand down for me to grab.

She helps me up after I grab it and I feel clothes, that turn out to be ripped rags as I look down at myself, move around on my body. My knees start to shake and it's all I can do just to keep myself standing. As if she could tell what's happening to me, I feel an arm go around my waist and help me walk out of the destroyed room and down the hall to the room with the table.

There's food in the room again, but this time, I can't eat it. I barely have enough energy to keep my head from falling onto the table in front of me as she helps me sit down in the chair. Before I even say anything, she lifts a glass of milk to my lips and helps me drink it before beginning to feed me from the plate of food in front of me. While I normally would complain about this sort of treatment, I barely have enough energy to keep my eyes open and head up; I can't even move my body from where it's leaning against the back of the chair.

By the time I'm done eating, I have no energy left and I feel myself falling asleep. The last thing I feel is the scientist undressing me from the clothes-turned-rags and putting another set of the same clothes they used to be on me. I hear her muttering under her breath about me going to be in Africa by the time I wake up at this rate.

While that statement surprises me, I can't do anything about it as the blackness pulls me under and I realize just as it happens that I missed the one-year mark while I was testing and the others were probably thinking something bad had happened to me – especially Victoria.

* * *

**I will say, without feeling bad about it, that you are quite lucky to get this chapter today. I didn't expect to be able to write this chapter in time, let alone make it this long. Friday was my birthday, yesterday I was supposed to do my homework (didn't happen... big surprise there), and today I have a bunch of plans. With all of that, I wrote last night until about 1AM, though I had some of this started from earlier and took a break to read from my new Kindle, and I'm posting this now.**

**I hope I made the reasons for her succeeding so well obvious... I'm not trying to make her sound like the perfect experiment at all. What happened was her instincts kicked in - instincts the scientists gave her when she was created. Her body took what nutrients it could to survive. During the storm, she basically went into a self-induced coma to live through it, though it's more like that time Max basically made herself look dead in School's Out Forever. Either way, it was her DNA showing. We'll see the side-effects of all of this next chapter.**

**This was all one chapter for Dubai. I got the idea after finishing last chapter. Africa, which IS her next stop if I remember correctly, will be at least two or three and starts next chapter. You'll see why it's longer next week. Either way, I won't be telling you about time gaps anymore because they'll be more like this chapter was. Time passing without her really keeping track of what's going on.**

**Please review and let me know what you think! :) Oh, and check out my poll please.**

**Posted: 4/11/10**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

I open my eyes to see blue above me and groan almost silently as I realize I'm lying on my back on the hill. Sitting up, I look around and see Erik to my right, rubbing his eyes as he sits up slowly. Another look around shows me that we're alone, but then I remember that out of the entire group, Erik is the only one anywhere near me in time zones, so they're probably not asleep yet.

"Erika?" My head flashes back to see Erik is staring at me, his eyes working normally again.

I nod, but I don't move or try to talk. I'm not sure how much I actually _want_ to be here in a shared dream with the others. I've been alone for months now, literally alone. The only humans I've seen since leaving Flint are the ones preparing me for each of the tests, meaning I'm very uncomfortable right now.

"Erika, what's happened to you?" Erik asks with a voice full of worry.

_What are you talking about?_ I sign to him, not really sure I want to use my voice, if I even can.

"You look… well, you look like you haven't eaten in months, and as if one well-placed hit could finish you off." I raise an eyebrow at that, not believing him for a second. "Erika… Can you take us both to the lake? Please?"

I nod slowly before teleporting next to him, lightly grasp his arm, and teleport to the lake, letting go of him the moment we get there. Luckily, Erik seems to realize that it's nothing against him personally that I don't want to be near him very much because he doesn't comment on it. All he does is gestures for me to walk to the edge of the lake with him as he sits down on one of the larger rocks and puts his bare feet into the water.

I mimic him, though I put at least ten feet between us, really not that comfortable around other people right now. I'm not sure why he wants to be at the lake, but I feel myself relaxing a little from the familiar surroundings. The cool water on my feet is soothing, as is the light breeze blowing my hair around slightly.

"Erika," I turn slightly to see Erik, "look into the water at your reflection, please."

Confused, I pull my feet out of the water and lean over to see my face in the water. Surprise shows all over my face in the water as I take in the sight of the bags under my eyes, the small cuts along my face, the few thin scars, and the sickly look, none of which were there the last time I saw myself in a mirror of some sort. What really took me by surprise was the fact that I actually look paler than I normally am, which is a true feat as Alexa and I are almost pure white.

I turn to face Erik, scared of what I appear to be becoming: The walking dead. He looks at me with sadness showing in his entire body before opening his arms slightly, offering to comfort me like he usually does. Even though I'm not very comfortable with the idea of being near others, I barely even think as I move towards him and into his embrace, my arms around him tightly in my fear. I don't want to look like this, feel like this, or act like this.

Warm tears fall from my eyes as Erik holds me, and I'm unable to stop them from falling. I feel Erik rubbing circles into my back and hear him muttering that it'll be okay into my ear while I'm crying. The tears continue to fall for who knows how long; this is the first time I've cried since I got taken from Flint and it shows in how much I'm crying. We're in this position for a long time, though I don't have any clue how long.

A noise behind us catches our attention and I feel Erik looking over for the source; I can't bring myself to move. I feel him relaxing suddenly, which tells me all I need to know about what the noise was. Without moving, I listen as footsteps slowly make their way over here. The footsteps give away who it is, and my mouth is close to smiling as I turn out of Erik's chest just enough to look at Victoria.

"Oh, Erika," she whispers softly when she sees my face, "what did they do to you?" I shake my head in response, not wanting to tell anyone until all eight of us are here. "Has she-?" I feel Erik also shake his head. "Oh, Erika… Come here?"

I slowly turn completely away from Erik and see Victoria sitting on the rock in front of me. Feeling the beginning of a smile on my face from seeing her, I slowly move towards her until I'm next to her. She smiles just slightly and puts an arm around my shoulders. I hear movement and look up just in time to see Erik get into his normal position on my right and put an arm around my waist while I put an arm around each of theirs. Victoria reaches over and touches Erik's should with the hand over my shoulders, and Erik touches her side in response.

All three of us just sit like this, in complete silence, taking comfort from the feel of the other two with us. This sort of thing is why we're the closest of the group. When one of us is feeling bad or we've just had a bad day, we'll just sit there in silence, comfort being offered completely silent. It really is comforting to just know that there are people who care about you and want you to be better.

By the time any of us are ready to move, we can hear people arguing lightly in the distance as they walk towards the lake. I squeeze my two friends, one with each arm, and let go of them. They understand the silent thanks and let go of me. I go to the edge of the rock and use the water from the lake to splash my lake before wiping it off with my shirt. Looking at my reflection, I see all traces of my crying are gone, though I still look like hell from the nine months of testing.

"Hey you three!" Kyle calls from where they others are walking towards us. I don't react, though I hear the other two waving.

"Erika, are you okay?" Alexa asks as they get close to us, so I look up at them and she gasps slightly before coming over to me. "What happened? Is this the cause of your being later than you expected?"

Instead of answering, I close my eyes and think of every day since the last dream up until today. Around me I head gasps as they all watch the past year and three months of my life. The moment I'm done, Alexa throws her arms around me in a hug while tears silently trail down her face. I'm pretty sure they all understand why I look how I do now; I'm not in Flint anymore.

"Erika, you are sure something else," Kyle states in a choked voice.

"That she is," Shawn agrees as he tries to blink back tears.

"That was just cruel," Jen murmurs while she tries to stop her crying.

I just shrug at all of these comments, not really wanting to talk about it. Truthfully, I just sort of ignored the world for those months. The others can't hear my thoughts or feel my emotions, so they don't know what exactly I was going through at the time, just what I did. I'm not going to try and explain it, though, because I can barely explain it to myself.

I hear a gasp above me that drags me out of my memories of what it had been like in those rooms. Looking up, I see Brandon staring at me, worried, and I groan internally. _Stupid mind readers._ Brandon chuckles halfheartedly at the thought, but he's still looking at me worriedly. Groaning internally again, I begin to tell him something silently.

_Brandon, all that happened during that time that you can't see from memory sharing was the fact that I wasn't just doing those sorts of things because I had to; I was doing those things to pass time, keep warm or cool, and stay alive. I enjoyed being in there, in a weird way. It was freedom from the pains of normal life at times. I was alone and could do what I wanted without the scientists bothering or affecting me. I literally felt free._

"Oh, Erika…" Brandon says sadly as he bends down to be eyelevel with me. "You just can't understand what that sounds like to someone else. I know that to you it's the truth, but to anyone else, it's a painful thing to hear. It's impossible to explain it to you, though." He smiles sadly at me. "Besides, I don't think I could take away the way you feel; it would hurt you too much. I'm going to leave you to your peace."

"Brandon, what did she think?" Victoria asks for the rest of the group after a long stretch of silence where Brandon puts his hand on my shoulder and the other on Alexa's shoulder.

"She just said her thoughts about the time she had been in those rooms. I'm not repeating them because, as I said, it'll be painful to hear for anyone but her."

"So we don't want to how she felt or thought during that time?" Shawn asks to clarify it.

"You definitely don't," Brandon replies with a sad look on his face. "It's hard to believe she really believes it…"

"Can't you at least tell us what she believes?" Jen asks quietly, looking me in the eye as she does so that I can see she only wants to know to help me.

Brandon looks at me, the question in his eyes. I'm not sure if I want all of them to know after how Brandon reacted, but I know they need to know. Slowly, I nod my head and look Brandon in the eye, my agreement in my eyes. I see his acceptance of my decision in his own eyes before he turns away to answer them.

"She believes that those months in the rooms were freedom."

I hear every single one of them turn to look at me as I look out over the lake, pretending that I can't feel their gazes on me and that I don't know the worry they're all going through right now, even if I don't understand it. My eyes closed, I concentrate on my breathing, trying to ignore what must be flying through their heads right now. I don't think I want to know what those thoughts are as they're going to include me and a lot of things that I don't feel or see the same way they do.

A touch on my shoulder shocks me so much that my eyes fly open and my head snaps up and to my right to see Alexa kneeling next to where I have my knees to my chest and my arms around them. She tightens her grip on my shoulder ever so slightly, as if trying to tell me that she's here. Much to my surprise, I feel a sudden calmness enter my body and I widen my eyes as I figure out the source.

"_What_?" I whisper in disbelief while staring at my sister. She smiles ever so slightly at me.

"My power grew enough to me to sort of push an emotion at someone. It's my way of calming someone down or sharing the emotions going on around me."

"Wow…" I mutter under my breath.

_What Alexa is trying to say, Erika, is that she and the others may not understand it, but they certainly are willing to try and give you the benefit of the doubt in this,_ Brandon says into my head quietly, almost as if he's whispering in my ear. _None of us have been what you've been through. Your life has been so much harder than ours in so many ways. We can only guess what some things feel like to you because they're different for us. They all used me to talk, and we all agreed on this._

"Thanks," I say just loudly enough that seven of them can pick up on it as I feel tears prickle my eyes. "Now go, have fun, swim," I say with a little laugh added in without my forcing it and a small smile on my face. I motion to the water with my hands before turning to face the group so they know I'll be okay now.

Finally, Erik walks up to me, puts his hand on my head, and then runs and dives into the lake without hesitating. The others follow his lead, each of them pausing to place a hand on my head before jumping in, until only Alexa and I are left on the shore. She changes her position from kneeling to sitting next to me, but she doesn't make any move to go join the others.

Looking at her curiously, I wait until she acknowledges me while I let go of my knees and put my legs out in front of me. Much to my surprise, she holds her left arm out for me, inviting me to sit against her. I see her smiling slightly at my surprise as I move closer to her and she drapes her arm over my shoulders. My head falling against her shoulder of its own accord, I feel peaceful just sitting there with my sister on the edge of the lake and watching our six friends messing around.

For the next few hours, all of us go between sitting on the rocks to going in the water, Alexa and I joining in when Erik decides we've had enough time to ourselves and launches a huge wave of water at our spot. My teleportation barely got us out of the way in time. That starts a water fight to end all water fights; the girls help the two of us get back at Erik, so the boys have to help him and it all escalates from there.

Therefore, I'm quite surprised when Erik suddenly sits up from his laying position on the side of the lake where Jen, Shawn, and I are with him. He looks over at me curiously before putting a finger in each side of his mouth and letting out a sharp whistle that catches the attention of the others out in the water. Gesturing for them to come over, Erik moves from his position next to me to in front of me. The moment the others are out of the water, he starts.

"Erika, is the sky turning?" he asks very quickly, as if afraid of the answer.

"No…" I reply slowly after glancing up at the pure blue sky.

"Darn it," he sighs sadly. "I'm feeling the pull."

All of us look sadly at him. We all know that by "the pull" he means the feeling in the stomach that you get when you're waking up. The moment I realize this, I also get very confused. Why would he want to know if the sky is changing colors if he's waking up?

"Erika," Erik says after seeing the confused look in my eyes, "from what we all could tell in your dreams, you're in the latest time zone, which means you wake up and go to sleep before any of us. You should be the first to wake up, not me."

"But, Erik, she was just in a self-induced coma, or so we think, and she was so exhausted afterwards that she's probably going to sleep for days before she wakes up," Victoria says before I can reply to Erik's explanation.

"Both of you are right," Brandon says. "She _is_ the farthest east of us, but she's also so exhausted that she may be gone from the world for a while. Whatever the reason, she'll be here for a while, and we may all leave before she does."

"None of that means we can't have all the fun we can until we wake up, though," Alexa adds on to Brandon's words.

"Erik, your time is up," I whisper as the paradise just gives me a feeling. "You have a minute at the most."

"Erik, you were here first and helped her more than any one of us could," Shawn says. "It's our turn now."

Erik nods slowly before looking me in the eyes and I see emotions running wild in them. I can't even keep track of what they are. He suddenly moves towards me and hugs me tightly, not wanting to let go.

"Take care of yourself, Erika," he whispers in my ear. "I know you can, but you need to do a slightly better job than this. None of us want to have to patch you up at each dream." He says the last two comments lightly with some cheek in his voice. "Seriously though, take care of yourself."

Before I can even try to think of a reply, Erik disappears from my arms as he wakes up in the real world. I look up at the others as my arms fall to my sides and a slight smile comes to my face at the same time as tears enter my eyes. From the look of her face, not even Alexa can figure out my emotions or Erik's, though I can never been one hundred percent sure with my sister.

_She understands Erik's, just not yours,_ Brandon adds in helpfully.

_Thanks Brandon. Now get out of my head!_ Laughter echoes around my head for a moment after that before my mind is my own again.

Grinning fully and blinking away the tears, I move towards the edge of the water. Putting my right hand into the water, my left hand flashes a very fast message in Victoria's direction that only the two of us know. I know when she answers my request once I feel the water change above my hand. It wouldn't surprise me if my eyes have my mischievous glint in them right now.

Picking my hand up, I fling the water sphere in my hand right at Brandon before dipping my hand back into the water and throwing another at Kyle. Laughing, I flash a smile at Victoria and our eyes meet before we nod at each other and I go back to throwing the spheres of water at the boys. In that one moment, we had both agreed that we would make the most of our time here, spending as much of it as we have left having fun.

Turns out we only got a couple of hours to whoop the boys in the lake before Victoria suddenly grabs my arm tightly and I turn to see in her eyes that her time is up. Moments after I realize it, my paradise tells me that her time is up for tonight. I nod slightly and hug her tightly, no words needed to describe anything. She too disappears as we hug.

Though none of us have said anything, all eight of us know that the others have a better chance of seeing one another than I do of seeing even one of them ever again. That's the only reason I'm the one they say goodbye to. It may be sad, but it's the truth.

The others all look at me and we all silently agree to get out of the water. Without really talking with them in any form, I just unfurl my wings, knowing that it's time for a fly. Just after I push off the ground and soar up high, faster than any of the others, I hear the others unfurl their wings and push off after me. Shawn is the first to catch up, his wind speeding him up more than it's speeding the others. I begin to circle, slowly making the circle larger as I move, and see Alexa is angling herself so that she'll be circling under me, her larger wingspan making it easier for her to force herself upwards.

As she begins to move up a bit, I move down just enough so that I can touch her back, our wings flapping in sync. Without even turning, I can tell that the others are all spread out behind us, watching while they follow. Our entire group of six has always been close, always known what's best for each member of the group. When someone needs comfort, we give it in the best way possible for that person.

For Brandon, it's everyone thinking about happy things and Alexa just touching his shoulder. Shawn just needs to be alone half of the time and with Jen the other half. We've found that Kyle just needs the chance to curse his mouth off and punch or kick things to calm down or get over something. Jen, on the other hand, just needs to be allowed to talk about anything and everything that comes to her mind. The most obvious way to help Alexa is to let any bad emotions leave so that the good ones can broadcast to her.

Quite truthfully, I'm the oddest one out of the whole group, which is saying something with these five. Sometimes I just want to be alone while at other times I want all of them with me. Here and there I just need a touch to remind me that I'm not alone. Once in a while I need a hug or a chance to just sit against someone, usually my sister or Erik. The level it takes to calm me down changes with what's got me worked up, not to mention how I get comfort or how long I get it.

Right now, I just need to feel my sister under me, hear the other four behind me, and let the wind work my wings. Sighing almost silently, I close my eyes and let Alexa's movement direct me as the six of us fly in circles for well over an hour, not a single word said between us. Most wouldn't understand or be able to stay quiet during out silence, but to us, it spoke everything that needed to be said.

We only stop the circling when Alexa suddenly straightens up in the air, making me stop so that I'm next to her in the air. I watch as the others come to be near us before diving to the ground. Following them quickly, I pull out of my own dive and land on the ground, my legs taking the impact from my sudden and hard landing. A quick look at all of them tells me exactly what I need to know: Their time here is up and I'm going to be alone. The sky is still telling me that I'm not even close to waking up.

Alexa walks up to me, but not even the look on her face brings tears to my eyes this time. My mind and heart have accepted what's going to happen, even if I don't want it to. She pulls me into her arms tightly, her head on my right shoulder while I feel four other hands on my other shoulder and back. Hugging my sister with one hand, I use my other to grab both of our necklaces. I can tell she's noticed when she tightens her hold on me.

Smiling sadly, I feel hands disappearing from my back one by one. First to go is Kyle, his hand pressing on my back the hardest as he always forgets to keep his strength out when he's trying to be comforting, especially with us girls. The second is Jen, whose light hand leaves my left shoulder. Third is Shawn whose hand is on my side lightly, and he squeezes it just as he leaves to say goodbye.

I feel Brandon's mind touch my own just as the hand directly between my wings begins to make very small circles. _I've been charged to say goodbye, Erika. We'll always be thinking of you, even if we don't know how often these dreams will be. Use these dreams as your respite, but never look at them as the only thing that keeps you alive. We're always with you in some way, and you're too strong to reply on something heavily. This is just a respite, not your life. Remember that. _That takes seconds to say, and his hand is rubbing circles on my back the entire time.

_We all love you_. With that statement, a final bit of pressure on my back, and an odd feeling in my mind, he's gone, leaving Alexa and I alone.

"I love you, Erika," she whispers in my ear as her hold tightens on me and then she lets go with only a hand on my shoulder left. She smiles sadly yet proudly down at me as she's still a few inches taller than me for the moment. A tear falls down her cheek as she tightens her hold on my shoulder, closing her eyes as she seems to turn into both mist and nothing at the same time.

Looking up at the darkening sky, I let a final tear fall down my face and see my family in the clouds above me. Holding the feathers of my necklace in both of my hands over my heart, I smile the smile that hasn't been seen since Erik left: The smile of pure happiness.

I might not see my family for a while; I might be forced into almost impossible tests; I might even die from Itex. I don't care what might happen in the future because I've got my family, my friends, and I know that they love me. Nothing anything or anyone throws at me can destroy the bonds we have. My life may be a nightmare, but I know that no matter what happens, I'll survive in some way through the others.

I close my eyes as the sky above me goes black and I'm thrown into the unknown.

* * *

**Uh... Sorry? (That's my "I'm afraid you won't accept my apology" apology.) I'm not ging to bore you all with the details, but life has been really evil to me lately. If you want details, ask in your review or in a PM. I had this ready last night, but as I was saving the AN, a virus came up and messed up my computer enough that it didn't save and I couldn't touch the computer for the rest of the night... So sad...**

**Anyway, about the chapter... I was planning on making it half paradise and half Itex, but this came out of nowhere and I couldn't stop writing it, so I let it write itself. Either way, I have to admit that it sort of showed a few things. The first was that what happened during those nine months (Which EVERYONE commented on because she somehow survived ;)) did in fact affect her, both physically and emotionally. Erika's going to be a bit different for a bit, not that it'll be very obvious. The second thing was at the end there because my good friend Vamps-with-Wings mentioned something in a review back for chapter 24 about the group being dependent on the paradise. While most might argue it, I can see where she's coming from, so I sort of added the end in there with her in mind. =P**

**Well, before I post this, I'm just going to say that the only clue I'm giving for Africa, which is where she's going to wake up, is that anyone who's read The Hunger Games (Excellent read) will recognize the idea, sort of. It'll be similar in some ways, different in others. If you've read the series, think of the first book, and you've sort of got my idea. If you haven't, you can either look it up or hope I update next week so that it makes sense.**

**Please review, even if I don't earn it.**

**Posted: 5/2/10**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

"UP!" My eyes snap open in an instant, and I see a black man standing above me, glaring down at me. "GET UP! NOW!" He pauses for a moment and then yells again. "WELL? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? MOVE!" That final yell shocks me into flashing up into a sitting position without even realizing it.

The eyes of the man above me are so hard and cold that they remind me of my father, only worse. It's like this man isn't even _willing_ to show a slight bit of compassion to anyone. His yelling at me to get up after all I've been through lately just proves it; especially since I've been sleeping ever since Dubai.

I stand up slowly, my legs barely able to hold me up as I fight falling back down to the ground on my knees. My eyes close tightly as I fight down a wave of dizziness that's trying to take over me. The fact that there's a man in front of me that doesn't seem against hitting an experiment to make it move barely even crosses my mind in the feeling of weakness I'm going through right now.

"MOVE, NOW!" I slowly open my eyes to see that the emotionless mask on the man's face from before has been replaced by one of pure anger and hatred towards me.

Gulping at the sight of the face, I move forward quickly, almost falling over as I do. Pausing to stand in place for a moment, I look at him and realize that I've got to get moving again. Walking quickly to stop the chance of falling over, I follow the scientist out into the hall and down to a room with a door on the other side. He stops me, giving me a chance to look around.

In the middle of the room is a table with a chair next to it. There's a large plate of food and many glasses of milk and juice in front of the chair. On the other side of the plate is a pile of clothes, a backpack, and a pile of supplies that I can't make out from here. I can also see a little bit of dried food and some bottles of water, though not many.

The scientist gestures to the food, and I go and sit down so that I can eat. Forgetting about everything, I just devour the food on the plate, barely tasting anything. I drain every single glass of liquid and eat every crumb on the plate. It's only when I finally place my silverware down on the table again that I regain the use of my mind and turn to face the scientist.

"Now that you've… eaten, we can finally move on," the scientist says, an odd look coming to his face when he talks about my eating. "We've got a test read in the next room over, and you're to be the first to test it. You'll be given supplies, but only so many. For now, change into those clothes there, but don't touch anything else, or you'll regret it." The man is pointing at the clothes on the table.

He leaves the room and I take my clothes off, except for my necklace, before picking up the pile of clothes to see what they've given me for the first time. I've got a sleeve-less shirt that's thin and dark green, a pair of cargo pants that can be turned into shorts by taking part of the legs of in the same color, a strong, dark-green jacket with pockets, and a pair of sturdy boots. I slip all of it on and turn to face the door as it opens and the scientist comes back in.

"Good," he says. "Now that you're dressed, it's time to tell you what the supplies are for. What you see here is what you get to choose from to take with you into the test. You can only take whatever you manage to fit into the backpack or onto yourself. Once you're ready, knock on the door and I'll return." With that, he leaves the room.

Turning to the table, I look carefully at the supplies I see there. Grabbing the backpack, I quickly put all of the dry food and water into the before adding a folded tent, a sleeping bag, and a couple of thin blankets. Then I look at the first aid supplies and quickly put some of the bandages into pockets of my pants and the rest into my bag. Antibiotic gel goes into my pockets while the spray goes into the bag.

Next to look at are the knives. Some of the have sheathes, so they're obviously supposed to go onto my belt, but the rest have nothing. I sit down to think for a minute and feel something odd on my chest as I move. Frowning, I stand up and open my jacket, hoping to figure out what it is. My eyes widen as I see little slits on the inside of the jacket. Smiling, I quickly count the number of slits and then the number of unsheathed knives; they match.

I quickly put the knives into the jacket, and realize that they had reinforced the inside so that I can't cut myself. The sheathed knives are put onto the belt on the table and around my waist. Then I turn to the only other weapon on the table: a bow and arrows.

I've never used a weapon before, but I know that the knives I can use easily. I'm used to hand-to-hand combat. Learning to use a knife won't be hard. Learning to use a bow and arrow? It'll be almost impossible. The bow might be useful if I need it for long-range, though, so I hesitate in just skipping it. Sighing, I decide that if I have space, I'll take it.

Turning away, I find a pile of lighters, matches, and spark rocks. I slip two lighters and two boxes of matches into my pocket while the rest go into the front pocket of my bag. The next thing I come across that'll be useful is a needle and thread because who knows what I'll be up against or how long I'll be there. Biting my tongue, they join the fire starters in my bag.

The next thing I slip into my pants pocket is a roll of twine; it might be very useful. A long rope is attached to the side of my pack. Otherwise, the last few things I add are a flashlight, batteries, some fishing line, hooks, and a couple pairs of gloves, one without fingers and the other with. Finally, I slip the bag on, adjusting myself to the weight, and then add the quiver to my back with the bow hanging from the side of it.

I knock on the door and wait for a moment before the scientist comes in, looks at me, and looks at the table of supplies before nodding. Though I can't figure out why, I have a feeling I've just passed some sort of test with what I've chosen to take. It doesn't make much sense, but it's what I feel like after getting that look that made me feel like he was trying to decide what he thinks of me.

"Very well, then," he says, startling me out of my thoughts. "You've chosen your supplies, and you can't take anything more. From this point on, all you will have is whatever you have on you or whatever you make while in the arena." I nod slightly to tell him I understand, though on the inside I'm worried a bit about this "arena."

"The test that you are about to be put into tests your ability to survive." I open my mouth to comment, but he beats me to it. "Not like the last testing you went through in Dubai. This test is about surviving in the wilderness with limited resources, not how well your body can survive different environments.

"Through that door there," he's pointing to the door on the other side of the room, "is an arena. It is built to look like a forest with a river in the middle. There are hills to change the elevation as well as the edge of a mountain range. It is as realistic as we could make it, so expect animals in there. They will attack you, so be prepared to fight. The food you took from the table is all you shall be provided with; you must provide for yourself and keep other animals away from it.

"Your job in there is one thing: Survive. Only we know how long we are going to keep you in there, but we will inform you when you're collected how long it was. Otherwise, just survive. There are no rules in there; it is life or death. Just remember that you will not be able to leave. Other than that, live and don't die."

The man pauses and takes a deep breath while looking at me a bit sadly, which surprises me. Turns out he does have a heart. It's obvious that after watching me eat, pick my supplies, and everything else I've done so far, he's realized that I'm just a kid that's a bit different. He doesn't want to send me into an arena where I may die, but he knows he must, so he will.

"Once you enter, you'll have no outside contact from us until a siren rings. When it does, that's your signal to fly above the trees and look for a group of scientists; they'll be at the exit to take you out. We shall not interfere at all, so anything the animals do will be of their own will and instinct; we have not affected them at all. Everything that occurs in there will be natural, not made by us." I nod in understanding.

"Please enter the arena, then, and good luck," the man finishes and he gestures to the door, his eyes full of sadness even though the rest of him is still carefully emotionless.

I walk over and open the door. The first thing that enters my vision is the green and brown of trees in front of me; a lot of trees. I step forward into the arena and then turn to see a very thick metal door being closed; there's no handle on the inside and it looks like it's just part of the wall.

Turning back to the trees, the forest seems to remind me of my paradise and its trees. They're close together, tall, and perfect for climbing and sleeping in. Overall, I can see myself living in here for a while as long as I can get food and water, though it shouldn't be too hard if there's a river and animals in here.

I slip my wings out through the slits in my clothes that the scientists thoughtfully provided and jumped into the air, my wings beating heavily and enjoying the chance to be used without a strong wind around me. The first thing that crosses my mind is that the arena is _huge_. By huge, I mean it's about a fourth of the size of the forest in my paradise, which is huge because it's in my mind. I have a feeling this branch of Itex is very large and was built with this arena in mind.

To my left, which is west, I see a few mountains, but not many; maybe five small ones and one large one. From the mountains comes a river that cuts through the middle of the forest and splits into many small streams throughout the entire forest. Along the river, before it reaches the trees, I can see a few dear, a couple of bears, and even a wolf, though it's close to the mountains. Some of the trees are higher in places while others seem lower; the hills he was talking about.

Just as I'm about to fly out and scout the arena, I'm forced to dive quite suddenly as a hawk attacks me. I whip around once I'm under it and see that it's a male and he's coming after me again. Dodging the attack, I try to figure out what's wrong; I'm not doing anything but – Oh. I'm in his area.

Diving down to the trees, I land on a branch near the top of a tree and begin climbing down so that I can run out of the hawk's area before he decides to attack me again. I don't stop running until my lungs are oxygen-deprived and I'm forced to lean against a tree while I try to regain the lost oxygen.

Looking around as I lean against the tree I realize that I'm in the middle of a forest, lost, and I don't think I should chance flying above the trees until a later time since I don't want to risk running into that hawk again. This is all very bad. I've got to at least figure out where the river is so that I can regain my bearings.

Once my breathing is more normal, I look at the tree I'm leaning on and realize that it's a good climbing one, so I grab the lowest branch and pull myself up. Quickly grabbing higher branches, I keep going until I'm near the top and going any higher would mean broken branches and a falling bird kid.

Sadly, my vision is blocked by other trees because I'm on the downside of a hill and other trees are above my view. Unwilling to give up, I begin jumping from tree to tree just like Jen and I do in the dreams sometimes when we get bored of swimming. I'm climbing up the hill and trying to figure out where I am with every jump I take, though none of them give me the answer until I get only a few trees from the top and can see a lot better.

It turns out that I'm on a very large hill, but at the bottom of the hill is one of the larger streams that's broken off from the river, which is a distance away still. Sighing slightly, I realize that without being able to fly, teleporting would be harder and getting from place to place would take longer.

I think it's my need to feel the air beneath my wings, but something urges me to fly low by the trees for a bit, so I unfurl my wings as I jump off the branch, soaring up into the air before getting so close to the trees that I could touch them if I reached down. The feelings that are only possible from flying relax me, sending all my worries and nervousness away. Even though I know there's a chance to be attacked in here, I can't help but feel calm and like I could take on anything that attacked me right now just because I'm flying again.

The soft smile that had come to my face disappears as I hear something launch itself at me. Instinct kicks in and I flap my wings harder so that I'm higher in the air. I turn around to see a cougar landing on a branch in a tree near the spot I had just been flying over. Surprise fills me as I remember Victoria telling me something about cougars once.

"_I read a book once on cougars. They live in the Americas, though they've become a lot less common in North America."_

_What's a cougar doing in an arena in Africa, then, if it's an American cat?_ Unfortunately, I don't have time to think on this as the cougar jumps at me again and my instinct takes over as I dodge.

Knowing that if I try to use my mind completely in this fight, I won't win it, I take out one of the knives sheathed on my belt. Allowing most of my mind to be taken over by the bird instincts that comes with the DNA, I prepare to fight. There's no way out of this as I don't know the place well enough to teleport and the cougar is fast on the ground.

The cougar leaps towards me again, and I dodge under it as I slash above me with the knife and feel it cut something. Turning, I see that I had gotten the right back paw; the cougar was placing it very lightly on the branch. Amazingly enough, the cougar jumps again and I barely dodge in time not to get clawed.

Glaring at the cat, I drop down just as it launches itself and aim to cut the underside of it, though all I do is cut both left paws and nick the stomach. Growling a bit in frustration, I aim a kick at the cougar as it misjudges its next jump and goes to the right of me, hitting it right in the side. The cougar misses the branch and falls to the ground, making hurt noises once it hits it.

I land on a branch in the middle of a tree and watch as the cougar gets up, glares up at me, and limps away. That confuses me for a bit until my instincts kick in and tell me that it's a territorial thing; I had won the fight, so it's leaving me alone. It's still confusing, but I stop trying to figure it out as it's an animal thing.

Now I need to figure out what I'm going to do. After wiping my knife off on a leaf, I sheath it and drop to the ground, my senses all on high alert. Nothing seems to be around me, but after that last fight, I need to be ready for anything. Now I know what that scientist meant when he said it's realistic and that I should be ready to fight.

Slowly, I begin to move through the woods. My mind is thinking about nothing else besides finding a place to sleep and food to eat. I don't even notice time passing as I move, my ears listening for every noise and my eyes looking for food and any movement. The slightest movement of leaves has my head spinning to look in that direction.

I don't know how long this keeps up, but before I know it, I'm surrounded by trees with fruit in them. There aren't many of them, maybe only six or seven, but there are apples and oranges in them and they look ripe.

My wings unfurl and I fly up into one of the apple trees. I grab an apple and bite into it, savoring the juices and taste of it. Pulling off my backpack with one hand while the other holds the apple to my mouth, only moving to pull the second strap off, I put a bunch of apples into my bag before teleporting to an orange tree and putting oranges into it, the apple still in my mouth. Once I finish that, I relax against the orange tree and finish my apple, peeling open an orange once I'm done.

I begin committing the scene before me to memory so that I can teleport here without a second thought when I need food, a place to stay, or just to escape to. Most places in a forest look the same, so this will be a very good place to remember as it's very memorable and unique. It's also the perfect place to use as a camp because it's got food and, now that I look around better, a medium sized stream. Not only that but the clearing I had walked into it large enough that I can fight off anything that tries to come here while small enough that I can claim the whole thing as my own without a problem of there being room to share.

The adrenaline that had been pumping through my veins since the fight wears off without my knowledge, and I fall asleep from exhaustion when it does. I don't even notice as I fall asleep because it seems to happen suddenly. In fact, the only reason I know I fell asleep is that a sudden crunching noise startles me awake.

Looking around, I see a pair of cougars walking into the clearing. As I look closer, I realize that the cougars are the one from earlier and its mate. The one from before, which I can tell is a male now that its mate is here with him and she's obviously female, is still limping, but he's clean of the blood and walking strongly enough that, unless you're looking for it, the limp isn't noticeable.

The male suddenly puts his face in the air and sniffs before turning to face the tree I'm in and me. I sit up and open my wings as I stare right back at him. Holding in a laugh at his reaction to my scent, I jump down from the tree while I unsheathe my knife and take a step towards him. He growls, a noise the female mimics, but doesn't move beyond lowering himself down to the ground more.

I instinctively growl without even knowing why and the two cougars back away from me when I do, both scared. My wings unfurl to their full length as I take a step towards them. Something about the movement must have scared them because they both run out of my clearing and don't turn back once.

When they've been gone for a bit, I finally relax enough to bring my wings back in and sheath my knife. It takes me another bit of time before I go and sit against a tree. Once I'm sitting, I close my eyes and try to relax completely, but after doing that for what feels like hours, I realize that while I'm in this arena that won't be possible. I don't think I'll be able to relax completely until I'm finally taken out of this place.

Sighing as I realize this, I stand up and unfurl my wings before pushing from the ground hard. I enjoy the sensations that come with soaring up into the air until I'm above the tree line and can see around me. The river is a lot closer to me now, but it's still a hike away. The mountains, on the other hand, are just a two minute flight away. While that may be a good thing, it can also be a bad thing because that means wolves might come by here.

_Oh well, I can fight for my land if need be. Otherwise, I'd better stay out of the way of any wolves. Erasers have taught me that one._

Diving back down to the ground, I get into an apple tree and let myself relax as much as possible, which isn't very relaxed, sadly. My body is relaxed and my eyes are closed, but my senses are still on high alert, and there's nothing I can do about it. In fact, so far, the most relaxed I've been is when I'm asleep, but even then I'm still not relaxed, as my sudden reaction to the cougars proved.

Sighing, I take my bag off my back and put it onto my lap, hugging it with my arms. It's cooling down around me, which means it's getting dark. Without opening my eyes, I open my bag and pull out one of the thin blankets, throwing it over me before closing my bag again.

Just like earlier, I don't even know when I fall asleep or that I do fall asleep until a sudden noise startles me into the world again. Blinking my eyes to get rid of the sleep and to adjust to the sun that's up, I look around to see a wolf walking across the clearing to the stream for some water, not noticing me yet. I just stare as he – it's obviously male from just looking at it – gets a drink and turns away from the stream.

Just as I think he's going to leave the clearing without noticing me, his nose twitches and his head spins around to look straight up at me, a challenge obvious in his eyes. Sadly, my instincts kick in and I just _know_ that I have to accept this challenge, even if the human part of my mind doesn't want to. The bird part of my mind is more at home here than the human part, so it's succeeding in taking over in a place that's normally only my human mind; the bird has more control in the air and the air alone before now.

Pushing the blanket into my bag and hanging the bag from a branch, I never take my eyes off the wolf just as he never takes his off of me. I then jump down from the tree to the ground, landing in a crouch and pulling out a knife for each hand. This time the fight will most likely be to the death, unlike the one with the cougar. Plus, the wolf is more of a challenge to me, so I need two knives instead of the single one I needed for the cougar.

The wolf growls at me as he sinks down lower, expecting that to frighten me away. It's at times like these that being both human and bird means I don't have normal reactions for either. Most birds would run, as would most humans, but other together makes me want to stay and fight. I growl back at him, startling him enough that his ears stand up straight for a moment before he growls again to show his acceptance of the challenge coming from me.

I move my left leg back so that I'm in a fighting stance and ready for anything. Just after I stop moving, the wolf pounces, trying to end this quickly. Unfortunately for him, I'm used to fighting wolves that just want it over with and dodge his blow, my left knife running along his flank as I do. We both turn to face each other one more, the wolf with a bit of blood running down his side, through his fur, and falling to the ground under him.

This time, I move first. I move to the right, making him think I'm attacking there, and then suddenly switch to his left, slashing at his already hurt side and nicking it as he dodges backwards. I back away just as he moves forward in a counter attack, his claws aimed right at my chest. I duck down low and to the right, just getting cut slightly on my left arm as I move away from him.

Blood runs in a warm, thin line down my arm from the shallow cut as the wolf and I circle one another, neither of us willing to give in to the other. This third time, we both move at the same time, me to his right and him to my left, which means we're going to the same side. I just barely dodge the paw aimed at my face, actually feeling the wind from the attack as I do, and dig one of my knives into his back leg, unable to pull it out as I move away.

Down to one knife, I quickly unsheathe another while the wolf limps backwards and away from me, the knife hurting him as he moves. I can see the pain in his eyes, but I can also see the determination, the anger, and the will to not give in to me. It's actually painful to see those feelings in his eyes.

_I don't want to kill him_, I realize as I look into his pain-filled eyes. _This is hurting me just as much as that knife is hurting him._

Sadly, I also know that this wolf won't give in. The only way he'll give in is if I'm a female wolf; an alpha female would be the best. Problem? I'm a bird and a human, not a wolf.

The wolf suddenly charges at me as I'm thinking, and manages to hit me with his head so that I fall to the ground on my side, my cut on my arm growing larger at the sudden impact. I slowly stand up, but the wolf is charging already and manages to claw both of my arms before I can kick him away from me.

I back away, my warm blood flowing down both my arms to my hands and to the floor. My knives are covered in my own blood just as much as his now. The cuts sting until they go numb from the adrenaline flowing through me, though I know I'll be feeling them again later. I just shake my arms a bit to make sure I can use them before crouching down a bit.

The wolf charges at me once he realizes I'm not giving in, and I duck as I slash at his right side, cutting into it more deeply than in the other side. My left knife is caught in his side and I have to back away from the wolf with one knife yet again, though I'm lucky to even have it as it too had almost been stuck. I pull out the last knife on my belt and watch out of the corner of my eye as my own blood slowly turns it to red.

I can't last much longer and I know it, so I prepare to go in one last time, hopefully for the kill even though I don't want to kill this wolf. Sometimes, it's kill or be killed, and this is one of those times as I duck down low and try to push both of my knives into his throat. He somehow moves out of the way just in time so that my knives only get caught in his shoulder so that I can't pull them out. He then pushes me with his head so that I'm on the ground and at his mercy with no way to get a knife out of my jacket.

Sadly, I know my only way out of this would be to become a wolf, which is impossible. I continue thinking about that thought, though, as it's my only lifeline. No matter what I try, I can't seem to get the thought out of my head.

Just as the wolf moves his open mouth down to bite into my neck, I feel something odd in my body and the wolf freezes.

* * *

**Uh... I'm back? *Looks a bit scared and very worried* A week later than I had hoped, but... It's here. I've got my laptop back. It got a virus like a month ago and it's a lot harder for me to write on the desktop than the laptop for some reason, so... Let's just say I've been busy today and leave it at that, okay? Good. Well, I'm happy to tell you that you won't be left with that ending for more than a week because the next chapter is already done and sitting on my flashdrive while I sit out in my backyard on the laptop. I finished it maybe 20 minutes ago, and it's a bit odd... After the first few pages (I'm going by Word here), I go a bit vague and skip a bunch of time, but you see how much later on. I also put the ages of the entire group since I know it's been _ages_ since I've done it and so many people have to be confused and lost with them. Otherwise... I'm not speaking of the next chapter.**

**If you want to know how this connects to the book The Hunger Games, ask and I'll inform, though not in an AN. It'd be too long... :)**

**Please review!  
**

**Posted: 5/15/10  
**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

_Just as the wolf moves his open mouth down to bite into my neck, I feel something odd in my body and the wolf freezes._

My senses change along with my eyesight and how my body feels. Without even looking, I somehow know that I'm not human anymore, let alone an avian-hybrid. No, I'm a wolf now. Even better, I seem to be an alpha female, though I'm not sure how I know, let alone how I'm an alpha. Males, whether they're alphas or not, don't attack females, let alone alpha females.

The male gets off of me slowly, his wounds slowing him down, and I slowly get up at my own wounds are hurting me. Looking at him, I see all four of my knives are still in his body and are causing him great pain. Slowly, I open my mouth and grab the two knives in his shoulder with my teeth, pulling until they're out. The wolf cries out in pain but doesn't move as I drop the knives to the ground and get first the on in his side and then the one in his leg.

Once all four knives are out of him, I instinctively lick his wounds while he licks the ones on my legs. For some unknown reason, he doesn't seem to mind the fact that the thing smelling of human and bird suddenly smells of only wolf, which I can tell as I can smell myself before and after the change. It's as if instinct is making him try to help me just like it's making me help him. I might not understand the instincts I have because of everything Itex did to me, but I know how to use them when I need them, and this is one of those times.

Once we're both done cleaning the other's wounds, we both go to the stream and clean the blood off ourselves and to drink. The male moves away from me as we do, as if he understands that I don't want him by me as I clean myself.

I don't know how I know it, but I just know that this male is a beta of one of the packs in the mountains. The odd thing is that I just_ know_ that there is more than one pack in the mountains and I've never been in them. Instincts really are useful, even if they are confusing.

Once we're both clean and our thirst is gone, the male seems to be asking if I wish to go with him. When he realizes I don't wish to, he thanks me for my help with the knives, though he doesn't have a name for them himself, and leaves me alone.

The moment I'm sure I'm completely alone, I think about being myself again, and that odd feeling, which I can tell is like a fire burning through my body, comes back and I'm suddenly myself again, clothes and all. I go and grab the knives from where I had left them as fast as my sore and stiff body can move and clean them off before drying and sheathing them again.

Next I fly up to my bag and sit by it while I take the antibiotic gel from my pockets and bandage myself with the bandages that are somehow still dry even though I had been in the stream. Now that I think about it, I'm completely dry, as if changing forms can't wet my clothes. My clothes are dry and not even the male licking my wounds had wet them or my body when I had changed back. In fact, the only thing wet about me is the sweat from the fight.

My jacket is still ripped up, but the cuts under it are closed a lot more than before, as if the male licking them had helped. The same thing happened with my legs, which had somehow gotten cut without me noticing during the fight. Truthfully, my wounds are a lot more healed than even my fast healing can do, which makes me wonder what it was with the wolf that helped.

Either way, I bandage myself up and then grab some apples from the tree, saving the ones in my bag for when I'm not in the area of the trees. I eat at least three before I drop out of the tree to practice the changing that's obviously different than what an Eraser does. It might even be shape-shifting, what I'm doing.

I think about being a wolf again, feel the warmth, and I'm suddenly on all fours and have all the senses of a wolf again. Smiling, which must look very menacing on a wolf, I go to the stream and look at my wolf form in the water. I'm gray mixed with white and some brown, which is probably from my hair, and I have my dark brown eyes looking back at me. My teeth are sharp when I open my mouth in a smile, which is as menacing-looking as I had expected.

After I get a good look at myself, I start to think about how this is most likely shape-shifting, which means I should be able to turn into any animal I can picture. Smiling slightly, I picture the cougar pair that had come to the clearing yesterday and concentrated on the way the female had looked. Imagining myself looking a bit like that, I feel the burning sensation again and look back down at the water to see a new face.

This time my brown eyes are looking at a cougar whose fur is a mix of brown and gold. My teeth are just as sharp as before, and I love the possibilities this power gives me here in the forest now that I can be a predator just as easily as I can be myself. The new power means that I can be any animal I want to, won't get hunted as much, and I can fight easier. Plus, I can get food much easier _and_ protect my clearing.

Turning human again, I'm reminded of something I haven't felt in a long time: exhaustion from using a new power too often too soon. I close my eyes against the dizzy spell and don't move until it's over. When I do move, it's to get my bag from the top of the tree as well as a bundle of apples and oranges.

I make large piles of the fruits and leave them between two trees, one orange and one apple. I set up the tent there, keeping the fruit outside of it for now, and open the side facing the clearing as much as it can go. Then I pull out my two blankets and leave them on the floor between the piles, one on top of the other. Then I take out my sleeping bag, open it completely, and put it on top of the blankets. Once that's done, I begin making small piles of apples and oranges around the outside of blankets and sleeping bag inside of the tent.

Opening my bag after putting the quiver with my bow and the arrows to the side, I pull out the rest of my first aid supplies, the flashlight and batteries, the fire starters, the fishing stuff, the gloves, my thread and needle, the twine, and the rope. My pockets are emptied of everything. I then begin to organize my stuff so that I know where it all is.

Almost forgetting I have them, I pull out the dried fruit and the water bottles. I decide to keep the dried fruit in the bag as I want it only if I run out of food, but I leave the water in the tent. The water will be drunk and refilled, but I've got food to spare right now.

Leaving my stuff inside except for the metal twine, which I take with me, I leave the tent and use some of the twine to leave a tripwire around the tent so that if any animal tries to get in while I'm gone, there's a chance I'll hear it.

With that, I leave to go and find wood. I'm gone for maybe a couple of hours, going back a few times to put the twigs and branches I find in front of the tent, before I smell a predator in the area. Slipping through the trees with quiet ease, I get back to my tent and let my senses expand.

To my left, from the direction of the river, a large animal of some kind is coming. I don't recognize the smell, though Erik would be better at it than I am, so I don't think it's a cougar or wolf. It's large, though, and heavier than either of those animals. I fly up into the air just enough to see a black bear headed in the direction of my clearing.

I turn into the wolf the moment I hit the ground again as I dive, not willing to take any chances with my stuff. Once changed, I wait for my challenge. When the bear gets there, it seems surprised to see a wolf waiting. The bear also seems confused, as if unsure whether or not to attack.

It takes a step forward, as if testing me to see if I'm going to protect my land and food. I growl and take two steps forward. The bear, realizing I won't let it get to my stuff, turns and leaves the clearing and the general area relatively fast. I keep my wolf form until it's long gone before I go human again, get over my dizziness, and go back to collecting wood. Most would have finished collecting after one load, but I don't want to have to do this for a while, so I'm trying to get all I can at once.

By the time I'm done, the sun is setting, I'm thirsty, I'm hungry, and I'm about to fall off my feet. I leave the wood outside as I go into my tent, drain a bottle of water, eat two oranges and two apples, and fall asleep on top of the sleeping bag in my wolf form so that my scent can stop predators from coming into the area.

My next few days are spent getting my clearing livable for both a wolf and an avian-hybrid. I use all the twine I have to make a sort of fence around my tent, and I even add wood to it so that it's stronger. More of the wood is used to keep a fire going during the day so that I can cook any fish I manage to catch in the stream or any small animals I find in the area while in my wolf form, which I like better than my cougar form.

I find a chunk of wood, and with a rock, I make it into a large bowl that I keep full of water so that I can drink in my wolf form while in my tent instead of having to go out to the stream to drink, which can be a hassle at night. Fruit is kept in my tent at all times so that I can grab some in either form.

Most of the time, when I'm not building or collecting things, I'm in my wolf form so that I adjust to it and can fight well in it. I also learn how to fight with the bow and arrows by aiming at one of the nearby trees and collecting my arrows from the trunk. My knives are kept sharp by rocks I found at the bottom of the stream.

Once my clearing is made so that the only way to get into the tent is by flying over the net or becoming a small animal like a rabbit, which I do turn into on occasion to get into small areas, and slipping through the wires, I finally call it done and fall into an easy routine.

Hours, days, and weeks pass by without my noticing as I spend my days exploring the forest, collecting food or wood, and learning how to change into different animals. On top of a wolf, cougar, and rabbit, I can become a bear, eagle, raven, monkey, tiger, cheetah, snake, rat, lioness, owl, hawk, fox, horse, housecat, dog, and lynx. Many of these I don't see in the forest, but Victoria knows a lot about animals from books she's read, and I remember the descriptions she told me and used them to change my form. I've mastered each animal and can use them to get what I need or just for fun.

Unfortunately, I have challengers every few days, so I've been hurt more than once and had to heal myself. Luckily, I've won each fight by either killing the challenger, though only if it wouldn't give up, or scaring it away. If one is scared away, I don't see it again.

The forest has gone through the seasons, the temperature changing just as much as the forest during those times. During the cold, my wolf form is very appreciated as it's warm and I don't need to worry about keeping warm. I hunt for food, and I keep meat and fruit for the times when there is none so that I don't starve. I might go a day or two without food in the winter, but I don't starve, and I most certainly don't get sick from hunger.

I originally got here in the middle of spring, and at least a whole cycle of seasons have passed before I know it. My life can be hard at times, but being able to turn into an animal helps so much in this forest that I barely notice the hardships that I would have noticed as an avian-hybrid, even if I am stronger than most.

Almost every night I'm in the arena, I dream of my paradise, though I always enter is standing. In it, I train my powers, all three of them, and it actually helps in the arena because I can change forms a lot more than I could the day before after I do. Even more, I learn how to use my shield while in animal form, though it takes more energy and I can't change forms as easily while it's up. I can't use all three at once, but I learned early on how to teleport as an animal, and it's very helpful when I'm hunting. I try not to use al three in a row, though, as that takes away energy like nothing else.

Basically, it's summer by the time I get a sudden reminder that the world does pass around me. I fall asleep as a wolf one night in the middle of summer, about a year and three months since I had entered the arena, and go to my paradise as normal. What isn't normal is the fact that I wake up lying on my back with the noise of people groaning around me.

I sit up quickly before relaxing as I stand up to look at the sight of all my friends in the paradise with me. I frown for a moment at the fact that they're all here are once before I remember that a male bear had come too close to my clearing just after dark, so I had to go and chase it of in wolf form, but it ended up in a short fight before he left.

I'm just getting bored enough of waiting to go kick Erik so that he'll actually sit up when Alexa sits up next to me and smiles when she sees me standing there. I help her up and hug her, barely noticing the fact that I'm a couple inches taller than my seventeen-year-old sister. We just hold each other until my heightened senses tell me that the others are sitting up. My senses are stronger now than before because, even though the scientists had made them strong in the first place, being able to turn into animals has made them even stronger; my senses probably match Erik's now.

Alexa and I help everyone stand up, Victoria and Erik hugging me tightly as I help them up so that it's Alexa that helps the others. I'm slightly put out that Erik is a couple of inches taller than me, but Victoria is my height and we can still kick Erik's butt, so I get over it fast. The next person to hug me is Jen, who's eighteen and actually an inch shorter than me.

After Jen comes nineteen-year-old Brandon, who still towers over me by at least three inches, but he's still kind and doesn't try to strangle me when he hugs me. Eighteen-year-old Kyle, on the other hand…. Let's just say I'm glad being in that wilderness arena in Africa has made me stronger or I'd be suffocating right now. Shawn, twenty and still the same old softie, is the last to hug me as he towers over me by a couple of inches like Kyle does.

"Erika, are we on time, this time?" Erik asks once we're all done hugging one another, laughing slightly.

"Yes, we are, you stupid boy," I return while smirking.

"Hey!"

The rest of the group begins to laugh along with me as they see the old sarcastic banter going on between the fourteen-year-olds. We all laugh harder when Victoria hits Erik upside the head and he glares at her before breaking down laughing as well.

"How did we all get here at once?" Alexa asks once we're all calmer.

"Oh… Uh…" I look at the ground. "Yeah… I went to sleep late. I was dealing with something and couldn't get to sleep until I was done."

"Testing?" Victoria asks as the others look at me in concern.

"Sort of…"

"Where are you this time?" Erik sighs.

"Africa, but I don't know where exactly, yet. I might know at a later time…"

"And what are they doing to you this time?" Shawn asks.

"Leaving me alone?" I reply, though it sounds like a question because I don't think they'll believe me.

"No way, Erika," Kyle says, still his old self as he speaks without thinking. "The scientists never leave an experiment alone unless they're going to die."

"They did in Dubai!" I retort, hoping they'll catch the connection.

"That's different!" Kyle almost yells in his frustration.

"No, it isn't, is it, Erika?" Alexa asks quietly. "They've left you alone in a room again, haven't they?"

"Sort of. It's more of an arena than a room." At their raised eyebrows I sigh, put a hand to my forehead, close my eyes, and focus on showing them the memories of the arena.

"At least this time is different than last time," Alexa states as I finish showing them my memories and listen to their outbursts.

"You could say that," I reply with a smile.

"I'll never understand how you survive all of this, Erika," Shawn says as he shakes his head.

"I don't think I will either," I reply, completely truthful. Erik snorts at that. "What, I don't!" I say as I turn to face him.

"Oh, I know you don't," he replies. "It's just funny that you don't as it's obvious that it's because you're strong, resourceful, and smart." I raise an eyebrow at that, as do Alexa, Brandon, and Victoria. "What? It's true…"

"Oh, we know it is," Victoria admits, "but you saying it like that…" she trails off.

Erik groans. "Whatever."

"So…" Brandon says to break the silence that follows that, "what are we going to do tonight?"

I finally look around to see where we appeared this time and I'm surprised to see that we appeared in the house in the center of my paradise. Sneaking a look at the others, I have to hold in a laugh as most look at the obstacle course with a sort of longing in their eyes. It's funny to see them looking at something like that; though I have to admit that we only did use it that one night, so it's understandable. I've used it since then, but they haven't.

"The course, obviously," I say in a voice that has the ones who had been looking at the course glaring at me. I just smile innocently until they all stop looking at me and fly, or run in Erik's case, off in that direction, leaving Alexa and I to walk there.

"How are you really doing?" she asks me quietly.

"Compared to last time?" She nods. "A lot better. I think the fact that I'm able to be an animal and get food helps a lot. It actually feels like freedom in there. I thought that the other rooms were freedom, but now that I've been in here, I know what freedom truly is, or as close as I can get to it without really being free.

"I didn't even remember it was a test or that it was Itex or notice time passing really until tonight when I got reminded quite suddenly in the form of seeing all seven of you in my dreams again. I was literally living in the wild without anyone trying to experiment on me, without anyone trying to force me to do something, and without anyone telling me what to do. My instincts take over at times and it's my life for once, not someone else's."

Alexa is silent for a long time before she speaks again. "I could see the happiness on your face when you looked in streams and lakes and any body of water. I've only seen that expression on your face in certain situations: these dreams, the first time we realized we were sisters, and when you, Erik, and Victoria were let into that arena to just fly without Erasers being there. You're truly happy in that arena, even though it's in Itex. It was hard to understand before, but now I get it; you're free in there. It's your own life now, not some stupid scientist's. You're finally living in a way you couldn't before."

"Yeah…" I reply before we go into silence. Neither of us speaks until we're almost at the course and I know I have to tell Alexa something before any of the others. "Alexa?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh… The gap is going to be even longer next time…"

"How long?" she manages to choke out as she realizes what this means.

"Two years, give or take a few weeks?" I say in question form as I really don't like the answer that much either. It's too long; anything can happen in two years, especially at Itexicon.

We both stop as Alexa lets out a quiet sob and turns to face me. She has tears in her eyes as she realizes the possibilities this could have, especially the consequences. She also sees the agreement in my eyes at the thought of going so long without this being terrible. Her eyes close just as mine do and we fight back the tears before opening them again at almost the same moment.

"This is going to be hard," she whispers and she walks over and me and hugs me, both of our heads resting on the other's shoulder.

"I know," I whisper back, feeling the same emotions as she does. I know we're feeling the same thing, and I'm not even the one who can read emotions; we just know each other that well.

We both stand there like that for a few minutes before we let go in the same movement and walk towards the course, ready to pretend that nothing's wrong until it's time to go.

I make everyone laugh by using my different animal forms to do the obstacle courses like I did to train them. Erik actually challenges me to a race to see who can complete the ground course faster while I'm in my wolf form. Erik goes first with Brandon timing him in all of our minds, and then I go once he's done with Brandon timing me the same way. We all have to hold in a laugh as Erik's face falls when Brandon's counting tells us all that I had beaten him by a god seventeen seconds.

Before we know it, it's time for Erik to wake up over in Germany, and the others can feel their scientists waking them up in their own countries; Victoria is in France while the others are in Spain. We all know that I wake up on my own, but so much time in my paradise has taught me that I can wake myself up if I've had enough time in there.

"How long this time?" Erik asks quietly as we all get together in a group to say goodbye.

"Two years," I whisper. I listen to sounds of dismay as my eyes are closed; I'm unable to watch their faces fall at the news.

"I guess it's reasonable," Victoria sighs quietly. "We knew it would be longer than last time, and that was a year and a half beyond the year that the other was supposed to be, so it makes sense."

"Yeah, it does," Jen says quietly, which is still odd for her.

I grab my necklace, which I hold tightly every night before I turn into a wolf to sleep, and close my eyes tightly until I feel three people touching me lightly. My eyes open to see Alexa in front of me, her left hand on my hands while her right holds her necklace. To my left is Erik, whose right hand holds his necklace while his left is on my shoulder. Victoria is on my left with her right hand on my left shoulder and her left hand on her necklace.

I watch as Brandon copies Erik slightly behind Alexa and Jen copies Victoria. Shawn and Kyle make their shape a larger 'V' by having Shawn doing the same to Jen and Kyle with Brandon.

Then, slowly and to my surprise, those five break apart and begin to make the 'V' that Erik, Victoria, and I have made even larger. Alexa goes behind Victoria with Jen right behind her while the boys go behind Erik in the order of Brandon, Shawn, and Kyle. I turn to look at all of them as I feel Victoria and Erik tighten their holds on my shoulders.

Tears falling down my face, I break the 'V' and we all make a circle. Erik and Victoria put an arm each around me. Kyle goes to stand next to Victoria while Shawn and Jen stand next to Erik. Alexa stands across from me with Brandon between her and Kyle. All of us share teary smiles as we have nothing left to say. Everything we need to say has been said by actions instead of words.

We all close our eyes and let ourselves be taken from the dream.

I wake up as a wolf in my tent, tears flowing down my face and onto my paws for the next few minutes before I can finally stop them. I may have been able to stay asleep for a while longer, but I couldn't, not today. It wouldn't have felt right to be alone in the paradise without the others tonight; my paradise would have been more empty than normal.

Sighing quietly, I switch back to human, fly over the fence made of wire and wood, and begin what's been my routine for over a year.

* * *

**Uh... Is there anything to say? I think this speaks for itself, in a way. Well, one more chapter in here, and then I'm out of pre-written chapters again. *Sigh* I guess that means I've got to actually work on those memories I have planned... Oh well. Not much will get done today if I do what I'm supposed to be doing. I've got a Poetry Anthology due Thursday that I need to work on very badly.**

**Oh! One more thing that I just want to mention. Because I've only got three and a half more weeks of school, I'm going to have more writing time on my hands very soon, so I was thinking I'd try to post 2-3 times a week until this story is done once school is out. I'm going out of a town a lot this summer, so the sooner I get this posted, the easier it is on me. Basically, I'm telling you to start checking my story more often after June 9th because you're going to have plenty to read from me.**

**Please Review? =)**

**Posted: 5/23/10  
**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

Days, weeks, and months continue to pass quickly after the shared dream, and before I know it, it's the beginning of spring again, and I'm racing through the forest in my wolf form, which is by far my favorite of the animals.

By now I've explored the entire arena, and all of the animals know me by scent. Every new territory I had entered for the first time had its strongest challenging me, but I always won. The animals had quickly learned that my scent might seem to be a wolf or a lioness or even a rabbit, but every single one of my scents has a touch of human and a touch of bird in it. That's how the animals know me know. I'm literally the alpha of this entire arena; every animal is either nice to me, fights with me, or if he or she is smart, leaves me alone.

This arena is my territory, and nothing the animals can do changes it. The animals all learned where my clearing is and stay clear of it unless they mean no harm and just want food and water. I'm kind and share my fruit, my stream, and the land outside of my fence. I leave piles of fruit on the ground for animals, and all animals come to my clearing to leave meat they've hunted. I eat my portion and leave the rest for others.

My home here has become a safe haven for the animals. No fighting occurs in it. If I hear even the start of a fight while I'm in the area, I go to the animals and hit them on the head to remind them of the rules in my true territory. Outside of a certain area, fights occur; but inside of that area, no fighting is allowed. Small animals are no longer prey, and large animals do not fight for territory or alpha or beta. My home is the area of truce, and the entire arena has learned it in the time I've been here, which is just over two years now.

I bark out to the wolves, cats of all sizes, bears, rabbits, and other animals I pass as I just run. Most of my time is spent in the area around my home so that I can stop fights, but as spring has just started, the animals are all in good moods and fights are rare for the first few weeks. This is the time I use to run as fast, far, and long as I can. My path always takes me from my home, through the mountains, back into the trees, around the lakes, across the river and streams, and through as much of the forest as I can cover in a week.

Whenever I do this run, animals are happy to see me as I stop every fight I come across except those for alpha and beta. I'm given fruit and meat by other animals, and I share sleeping areas with some of the cats, wolves, and bears. All of the animals realize I don't like to kill, so they kill for me. I kill only when I have to, and all of the animals respect me for it.

I learn much about the going-ons of the arena when I do this run. I meet many of the new cubs, hatchlings, and babies of the forest. Stories are told every night when I stop; some are of hunts while others are of the other animals and many are of alpha and beta fights. I know all of the packs, flocks, and herds in this place as well as any other family.

Whenever I stay with a group of animals, I always am kind enough to change into their species so that they feel the most comfortable. All of the animals think it's weird that I can change, but they're all used to it and they've come to like that I can become one of them when I wish. It's made me more welcome as the alpha of this place.

The one thing every animal in here agrees on is that the scientists are evil, but they're also kind. When an animal population gets low, like the rabbits or the fish, they add more into the arena at night, and they only do it in families, not in ones and twos. They also don't hurt the animals beyond making them sleep until they're added to the arena. So while the scientists are evil for taking them from their home, they're kind about it and give them a good new home that they can appreciate.

Right now, I'm on my way back home. It's the final stretch of my run and I've seen many new babies as well as heard many excellent stories. My legs have been stretched and I've had fun. I'm ready to go back to my home for the next few weeks before I go on a few day run of the mountains like always.

These sorts of excursions occur about once a month with this on spring being the longest and the ones in winter the shortest. I go to different areas to check on different animals as well as stretch my legs and help anyone who needs it. During the winter, many animals come to my home for it as I keep a fire going in the middle of the clearing all winter long. Animals help me collect wood and we all keep it going, providing heat for all.

I run into the clearing of my home and find a fight occurring. Groaning internally, I run up to the wolf and bear before I hit both of them hard on the head and growl menacingly. They both realize it's me and get the warning. I gesture in the direction of the woods behind my tent, and both animals go to collect wood together, which is the punishment for fighting in my home. If they work together for a few hours, it reminds them that we're all animals and don't need to fight for everything if we can share it. None fight for at least a month after doing the chore.

Sighing softly, I turn into my avian-hybrid form to fly up into the trees and look over my clearing. Some of the animals are fishing for everyone, which is the only sort of hunting I allow in my home, while others are sleeping. I have a few cubs wrestling while their parents watch. Smiling slightly, I look out further and see some animals bringing meat to the clearing for all to eat.

_My home will be okay. Everything is normal, and all the animals are alive and healthy._

After that moment, I fall back into the routine of keeping the animals in line as alpha. Food is collected and shared. Stories are told at night as I sleep in my tent and the others in the clearing or under the trees. I go on my runs around my area and outside of it. The animals of the arena stay well. Sometimes I get animals running in to have me follow them to their homes so that I can help take care of a sick child or just a sick animal. I help heal wounds, my wolf form's licking of wounds healing them faster than even my normal healing rate.

The months pass by quickly as spring turns into summer and summer into fall. The trees begin to change color and the animals eat all of the fruits in the arena along with me. Scientists put in more rabbits and fish, which are the main meats that are eaten except for animals that die of natural causes or alpha and beta fights.

Time passes as I live my life in the arena. I'm just returning to my home after my October run through the arena when a noise never heard before sounds. It's a siren. Many of the animals in the arena scatter in fear, but my mind is spinning as something said long ago returns to me.

"_Once you enter, you'll have no outside contact from us until a siren rings. When it does, that's your signal to fly above the trees and look for a group of scientists; they'll be at the exit to take you out." _

Those were my instructions when I first entered the arena, and it's time to fulfill them.

I fly into the air after changing back into my original form. Once I'm in the air, the siren stops. Spinning in a circle, it takes me a moment before I see the scientists by the door I had entered by. Leaving everything I had brought into the arena with me except the clothes on myself, which doesn't include my jacket or knives anymore as I fight with claws and teeth now, I fly towards the scientists, diving and landing when I finally reach them.

"Welcome back," says the scientist who had been with me when I entered the arena two and a half years before.

"It's great to see you again, even if I actually like it in here," I reply with a smile.

"Yes, well, we've got something to tell you that doesn't have to do with the experiment, but we'll tell you about the experiment parts of our news first."

"First of all," another scientist says, "you did amazing. Getting that shape-shifting power really made the difference. It was a lot of fun watching you in here." All of us are smiling.

"Second," a third says, "your combining of the animals was just spectacular. We were not expecting that at all."

"Finally," the fourth and last scientist says, "you amazed our superiors beyond belief. We had a great laugh at the looks on their faces as they same and watched you for a week about a year ago." All of the scientists laugh at the memory and I follow along as I imagine the faces.

"Now, for the news that doesn't relate directly to the experiment," my old friend from the very beginning in this place says as they finish laughing. "We've got experiments in this room here who are about to begin the testing. We're going to leave all of your stuff in here, so you may wish to inform them of where to go. Telling them of some of the things you've done in here wouldn't hurt either.

"Also, we're only allowing you to see them as we've got orders from our bosses here in our branch of Itex that have gotten a soft spot for you after watching you all this time. We're not supposed to let you talk to them – I think you'll know why soon enough – but all of us here in this Itex branch have agreed that you've earned it after all this time here in our arena being out guinea pig and showing us how well we've made it."

"Yes, it's an amazing place," I admit with a smile. "Even the animals like it. They all agree that while you may have taken them from their old homes and made them sleep until they got into here, you've given them an amazing replacement to their old homes. They approve."

"That's great to know; thank you," one of the other scientists says as he writes it down on a clipboard.

"Yes, so we're going to let you in this room," the one I already knew says. "We'll give you about twelve hours in there, and then send them into the arena and you onto your next location."

"Yes, about that…" I say slowly. "Where in Africa am I exactly?" The scientists all laugh before informing me that I'm in Ghana, Africa. "Thanks. I was wondering that for a while there."

"Well, we'd better let you begin your twelve hours. We'll bring you food in a bit as you need some food other than meat and fruit." All of the scientists smile kindly at me before preceding me into the room. Once I enter the room, I get the shock of my life.

Standing in front of me, all staring at me, are Alexa, Brandon, Jen, Shawn, and Kyle. We're all frozen in shock, and we can't move. The scientists have left, but not even the door snapping shut brings us out of our stupors.

It takes me finally taking a step forward to have all of us move. Alexa rushes over to me and hugs me tightly. Brandon goes around to my other side and does the same. When they finally let go, Jen takes over before handing me off to Shawn and then Kyle. All six of us are smiling and holding back tears of joy. None of us can believe it.

"You five are here for testing?" I exclaim when I can finally speak.

"Yeah," Brandon says as the others nod.

"We were told that it's been tested and working so well that they want a group of people that are close to go in and try it out. Now we know why," Alexa explains with a smile.

"None of us even thought of this place when they mentioned Africa because we were told that we'd never been allowed to be in the same branch except Flint, let alone see you," Jen adds.

"The scientists explained to me that some people high up in this branch gained a soft spot for me after two and a half years of watching me in the arena, so they decided to let us see each other," I say quickly as we all sit down; I'm leaning against Alexa's side as we sit against the wall, just like old times.

"So, why are they letting us be in the same room?" Kyle asks.

"Well, one of the things I'm supposed to do is fill you all in one what I've been doing in there, but you all already know about my clearing and the animals and the runs and everything." They all nod. "But maybe Brandon can read my memories and pass them on to the rest of you, sort of like a longer version of what we do when we see one another."

Everyone turns to face Brandon. He looks me in the eyes and I quickly bring up my memories from the morning after the shared dream onward, giving him them. I hear gasps and other reactions as the others are shown them at almost the exact same speed we normally do this, which means fast. Alexa even holds me tighter to her as she watches the fights I've been forced to become part of in an effort to stop them.

By the time I'm done, they're all caught up on everything, know where to find everything, and they seem to understand what I want them to do as Brandon had passed on a message to the others explaining my idea of them still leaving fruit out for the animals and sharing everything with them. They might not be able to shape-shift like me, but they can certainly keep the animals warm in the winter, fed at all times, and be kind to them as well as break up fights in the clearing.

"We'll most certainly help the animals," Brandon says as the voice of the group as well as the alpha of their group – for now.

If we think in animal terms, we all know how our family would work. I'm alpha of our family, which is why I was able to be the alpha female in the arena; I'm already an alpha for another group. Brandon would be beta with Alexa as the beta female. No matter how much I don't want to admit it, even I have to admit that Erik would be the alpha male, though in this pack, the females are in charge, not the males. It's just because we females are the stronger ones and have more power over the males.

Because Brandon is the beta of the whole group, he's the alpha of this group along with Alexa until all eight of us are finally reunited and allowed to stay together. Sadly, we all know that the only that will happen is if we're all free.

"So, Erika, how much fun is it to be any animal you want?" Kyle asks, which sets off an entire conversation about animals and power and many other things that takes over an hour to finish.

The conversation teaches me many things including the fact that the past year has been generous to the five in the form of powers. Kyle can now walk through some solids, though not all. Jen can heal others, though only minor wounds like shallow cuts and bruises; she can't heal broken bones or really deep cuts.

Shawn can make an object basically weigh nothing; this includes humans. His is helpful because he can make it weigh basically nothing and then pass it to someone else without the weight coming back until he wants it to; he doesn't even have to be touching the object to make it gain or lose weight.

Alexa can make someone or something to silent but all she wants to hear the noises; perfect for sneaking up on someone when you want to scare them. Brandon, on the other hand, has a sixth sense that lets him know that something bad is about to happen just before it does. Basically, if someone is about to aim a kick at him, he knows it's going to happen and can dodge. It works with his mind reading, though it's different, and it doesn't always happen.

What's more, that conversation leads to one about their being with Victoria for a month and her showing them a new power: she can turn things invisible as long as she concentrates on it. If she loses her concentration, she can't keep anything invisible, so it doesn't work well in a fight yet, but if she works on it, she can make it work.

That conversation turns to one about Victoria spending a week with Erik in Germany and the two of them annoying each other so much that at least one day was spent in silence before Victoria had to leave.

That conversation leads to more stories, and the stories just keep on growing until all six of us are laughing more than we're talking. When food arrives, we all take turns telling stories so that we all can eat. It's so much fun that we don't even notice the time flying until the scientist from my first day in Africa comes in.

"I'm really very sorry to interrupt this gathering, but your time is up and you have to say goodbye."

"Wait!" I call after him as he turns to leave the room after telling up the depressing news that ruins the mood of the room. He turns to face me. "Can we give them the clothes I'm wearing?" He looks curious but nods.

"When you change for transport, we'll give them the clothes." He then leaves the room.

"What was that about, Erika?" Alexa asks as I move towards their tables of supplies, which has enough to fill five bags with the exact same amount of stuff mine had.

"Scent," I reply as I begin packing their bags like I had my own so that they'd have the important stuff.

"Scent?" Jen asks in confusion, but I know Brandon has the answer from my mind, so I let him answer.

"She's giving us many things for this arena," Brandon says. "She gave us her memories; she gave us the set-up of her clearing; she's got the animals tamed just enough for us to live; she's going to give us the same supplies that she originally had; and now she's giving us her scent so that the animals will realize that she trusts us and they'll listen to us."

"Oh," is the only reply all the others give as I finish packing up their bags before turning to them, tears in my eyes.

Alexa moves towards me and hugs me like she does in the dreams before letting go and grabbing her necklace. The others do the same along with me while an idea begins to form in my mind quite suddenly.

I quickly move back to the table and smile as I see the stuff I want. I grab a spare thing of twine as well as six pieces of leather. My mind is spinning as I realize that this hadn't been here my first time, but that's when I remember that the entire Branch had gotten a soft spot for me; it wouldn't surprise me if they put this stuff in here just for this alone.

I turn back to my friends and their eyes widen as they see what's in my hands before smiles cross their faces. Without even thinking, we each expand a wing and pull out six loose secondary feathers. I go to the table, make six piles, each with a piece of leather and one of my feathers. The others add their own feathers to the piles as I take a knife out and cut pieces of twine to add to the piles before putting the knife and twine back.

We each claim a pile and slowly put the feathers together into second necklaces like we did before. Then, to my surprise, Kyle suddenly makes us stop and pulls something out of his pocket. When I look closer, I see feathers that obviously belong to Victoria; six secondary feathers. Shawn then pulls out a handful of black hair that obviously belongs to Erik.

Both boys pass the stuff around and we all make the necklace to replace out old ones, which are falling apart. Each necklace is made in a different order. Mine has my own feather in the front with Alexa's and Brandon's next followed by Victoria's and Kyle's. Jen's and Shawn's finished it up with Erik's hair tying them all together before I use twine to tie the group to the leather. The leather ends are then tied together and the necklace put over my neck as I take off the old one and retie it around my left wrist.

The others all make their own orders for the feathers and mimic me with everything else. Once we're all done, I take two feathers from my wings and give them to Alexa, who just looks me in the eye and knows what I want her to do with them. She smiles lightly and pockets them carefully. We all know these five will meet up with those two before I do, but I think of something and give her a third feather, which confuses her until I give Brandon a look and he explains that if they see one of the other two, then both that person and Alexa can have a feather to give the last.

Once we're done, I look each of them in the eye and we all come to an understanding. I put my left arm out so that the necklace-turned-bracelet is hanging there, and the others mimic me, our fists all touching and making a circle.

We're still in that position when the scientist comes back in. When we move, he smiles ever so slightly as he sees the new necklaces on our necks. He then gestures for me to follow him and I do without looking back because I know that if I do, I'll cry.

He takes me into another room that has a new pair of cargo pants and a long sleeved shirt in it. I quickly change and give him my old clothes to give to my friends so that they can use them to survive in there. It's the only reassurance I have, and I need to use it.

The scientist leaves for a few minutes before he comes back, nodding to let me know he gave them the clothes. I'm then led down a hallway until we get to a room with a van in it. Groaning slightly, I get into the cage he gestures me to and sit down, prepared to wait. The scientist gives me one wave before my cage is locked, the doors of the van closed, and the van leaves.

I sigh as I lie down in the cage and listen to the scientists talking about anything and everything in the front. I feel the engine purring under me. I smell so many different things that my nose can't tell them apart.

Groaning again, I turn into my wolf form, put my paws over my nose, close my eyes, and put my ears against my head. I slowly let the vibrations from the engine put me to sleep as I think about every memory of my family and wish that we could be together again.

* * *

**Happy and sad chapter, in a way. I know, I'm evil... Sorry. Anyway, you find out about new powers, which won't come into play much in this story, but when it comes down to the final story in my Old and New Trilogy... I'm gunna have some fun. ;) Otherwise, I believe this chapter speaks for itself.**

**You'd think that after being home sick for a week, I'd have more chapters to show for it, but I sadly don't. I barely wrote the whole time. I think I have enough memories (Either you know what I mean or you'll see next chapter) for another chapter, but I'm going to try and write more. We'll just have to hope and see. Anyway, please review!**

**Posted: 5/28/10  
**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One**

I growl in frustration as I'm left in my cage after being flown to Honshu, Japan. They've ignored me beyond moving me ever since Africa about a day ago. I hate it. These scientists have never treated me well, but this is just terrible. I growl again as I wish I have something to hit.

As if they've read my mind, a group of scientists and Erasers enter the room. They pull me out of the cage without saying a word and lead me into another room with a huge tank in it. I'm not given a choice as they open the cage and push me into it. I land on a sort of liquid and look at the crack of light coming it, but then the light disappears and I see nothing, literally nothing.

There are no shadows, no little things of light, nothing. It's like I've gone blind against my will. What's worse, though, is that I can't feel anything. My arms, my legs, my wings, my head, my body, it's like none of it is there. I can barely even feel the liquid I know is there. The liquid is all that's keeping my body in place; it's like the liquid is a mattress in here for me.

My mind is spinning like crazy as it tries to figure out what sort of tanks Itexicon has, but my mind just won't calm down enough to think. I try to remember. The idea of a tank is in my mind, but I can't figure it out. I try to relax, I try to calm my breathing down, but I can't succeed.

I imagine Alexa in here with me, holding me to her chest while I fall asleep just like she used to when I was really little, like three. She'd hold me and tell me everything would be okay, and it was. It was like she protected me.

The memories and feelings those brought back to the surface calm me enough that I remember the memory I had been trying to remember.

"_Yeah, well Victoria had a hard month or so right after the dream," Jen says just before she begins her turn at eating and passes the story-telling torch onto Alexa._

"_She was at a branch, though she never knew where, and she hated it. Said she never wanted to go back there again. It took us days to get her to talk about it. Turns out they put her into an isolation tank. We didn't understand the term, so we kept try to pry it out of her, but it took us another few days._

"_She told us it basically made it so that she couldn't feel anything. Her body was suspended on a liquid of some kind, too. It was completely black in there; felt as if she had gone blind, she said. Felt like she had been in there for months; turned out she had lasted a week in there before wishing she was dead and they took her out."_

"_Turns out last a week in one of those isn't bad, but it isn't very good either," Kyle says as Alexa takes a bite of rice. "She got the chance to talk to other experiments who had just been in a tank, and a couple had lasted a month before being released. Others lasted at least two weeks. Most only lasted three days at the most."_

"_She kept saying it was a miracle to survive the thing," Brandon adds before going back to his chicken._

"_Even she wanted to die while she was in that thing," Shawn says as he takes over. "Kept saying over and over that if felt like her life was ending, that she had died, that nothing would ever be the same again. She truly never expected to see the light of day again."_

I close my eyes as I realize I'm being forced through the same test as Victoria had been. The only problem is, closing my eyes forces other memories back to the surface, some good and some bad.

_I groan as I wake up and feel the wounds from those two days in the room with the Erasers. My entire body feels like it has millions of needles sticking everywhere. I've got random fire knives cutting into my skin, making it so that it burns at every spot they enter. I can't even open my eyes._

"_Erika, it'll be okay," Erik whispers from beside me._

"_Erik!" Victoria mutters a bit louder than Erik had just been. "We just healed her last night and you're telling her she'll be okay? We all know how bad it is. Besides, I already told you that you don't understand what it's like to have wings."_

_Now that Victoria's mentioned it, my wings feel like I've just fallen through a thick forest that's 100 ft high, and I hit every branch with my wings on the way down. My missing feathers make it so that my wings feel so terrible. It's like they won't be able to move ever again, the pain is that bad and the missing feathers make them feel that weird_

"_Hurts…" I mutter under my breath, but the two of them still hear me somehow._

"_I told you she'd be in pain," Victoria whispers to Erik._

"_And I agreed with you," he replies, "but who could want her to go through such pain?"_

"_Father…" I reply quietly._

_Erik sighs as he realizes I'm right. "Except him."_

"_Mother…" I say quietly as I think of my last memories of my mother and how she had hated me just as much as my father._

_Both of them sigh quietly as they realize I'm right yet again. Before they can even say except her, I say another person._

"_Uncle… Dad's… Step-brother…"_

_Hearing that just made them angry and upset, but they can't disagree as they had heard all about the three of them from Alexa and the others, though mostly Alexa._

"_You're right, Erika," Victoria admits quietly, "but you shouldn't be thinking like that; especially not now. You need to relax and heal. Your body took a lot of damage, and it needs you relaxed and sleeping to heal."_

_My eyes still closed as I can't open them, I feel myself slipping away into the darkness, but I say one more thing before I go._

"_Tired… Hurt… I'll… Live…"_

_I hear both of them shaking their heads in amazement as they laugh lightly._

Tears fall down my face at the remembered pain. Another memory comes up before I can stop it.

_I sigh, very bored right now because the scientists haven't been in the room all day. Not even talking to the others can stop the boredom today, which is odd in itself. Usually, talking with Alexa and the others keeps me from being bored because they all have some amazing stories, but today it just doesn't help._

_Alexa tightens her hold around my waist as she feels my restlessness as well as my boredom. She's learned over the past month or so that once I'm bored, it's hard to entertain me. It doesn't help that Jen and Kyle are fighting right now over his stupidity when it comes to Erasers._

"_Are you really so bored that their fighting can't entertain you?" she whispers in my ear as she watches the fight with amused patience._

"_The only thing that could entertain me would be those two literally fighting," I whisper back as I watch those two yelling back and forth with a very bored air around me._

"_Why not put them in the same cage so that we can watch them fight, then?" Alexa asks after thinking about it for a bit._

"_Why didn't I think of that?" I complain as I put my palm to my forehead._

"_Because you still aren't used to thinking in the terms of entertainment?" Alexa says with an air of a question while her voice holds some laughter that she's obviously withholding._

_I pull myself out of her arms and look over at Jen's cage before looking at Kyle's. Time to decide which person to move…_

_After thinking over the chances of me getting hurt when I teleport in to grab one of them, I decide that Jen is the safer bet, even in her current stage of anger._

_I appear in Jen's cage moments after I decide that. Moving quickly, I grab her arm and take her to Kyle's cage, teleporting out moments after I get there and let go of Jen. I had moved so fast that no one had really seen me, even if all know that I'm the one who did it._

_Jen and Kyle are shocked into silence for a minute before they realize that the person they hate most at the moment is in front of them. Jen begins yelling at him again, which sets off Kyle. Once the fighting gets heated again, Jen suddenly throws a punch at Kyle, which he blocks and returns. It quickly turns into a full-out fight with punching, kicking, blocking, dodging, and wrestling._

_Brandon and Shawn are so amused that they're barely able to contain their mirth. Alexa and I don't even bother; we're both shaking with silent laughter. Kyle and Jen don't even seem to realize that they're the entertainment of the day, they're that into the fight._

_Alexa turns me around enough that I'm looking her in the eye, and I just know that our eyes are identical at the moment: dark brown and full of amusement and mirth. She holds up her hand in front of me and I hit it in a high-five._

_Our plan had worked. We got entertainment, I'm not bored anymore, and she doesn't have to feel my bad mood. It was the perfect day._

I laugh as I remember that day. Another memory has to take over before I can truly enjoy that one.

_Victoria groans as a scientist comes into the room just as she's about to say something not meant for scientist ears. The scientist quickly takes Erik out for more of his testing that Victoria and I can't do because we're not "enhanced humans," or so Erik claims._

"_We _need_ a way to talk around the scientists without them knowing what we're saying," Victoria moans as she lies down on the floor of the cage and covers her eyes with her hands._

"_And how do you suppose we do that?" I ask, a bit annoyed because Victoria won't finish the earlier conversation about her past until Erik gets here, and because I'm still hurting from those two days with the Erasers. Stupid Erasers and fathers._

"_I don't know, make up new words?" she suggests as she throws her hands up in the air to show her annoyance._

"_A spoken language?" I ask, laughing slightly. "No way; it'll never work."_

"_It's not like there's any other way to talk!" she retorts angrily as she sits up to face me even though I'm on my back._

"_We're not making up a new spoken language!" I reply, nixing the idea._

"_Then what can we do?" she asks sadly as she begins to see my point._

"_Why not make a language with our hands? Isn't there one called sign language or something along those lines? For the deaf, I mean."_

"_You're right!" Victoria says as a smile begins to form on her face. "It's perfect!"_

"_Yes, now, can I please sit up?" I complain. It's annoying to try and hold a conversation when you're lying on your back._

"_Huh? Oh, yeah!" she says as she moves over to help me sit up against a bar of the cage._

"_Now… we need a sign for the scientists," I say once the pain from moving has gone down some._

"_What should it mean?" she asks._

"They're idiots_ or just _idiots_ for short," I reply at once._

"_Great idea!" Victoria laughs._

"_And I think I have the perfect sign for it," I reply before using all of my right fingers by my thumb to look like I'm cutting across my neck with them._

"_Nice!" she laughs. "It fits well with the words because their stupidity makes us want to kill ourselves."_

"_That's the idea," I say while smirking. "And if it's just one person, like… Erik, it's this." I use my right index finger to cut across my neck. "_He's an idiot,_" I translate for her._

"_Oh man, we should use that when he walks in," she says as she breaks down into laughter._

"_Great idea," I agree as I let some of my own laughter come out, though not much because it hurts to laugh still._

_Just then, Erik is led back into the room, so we both use the sign at the scientists putting him in the cage. All of them are confused, but no one says anything as the scientists leave the room and Erik sits down. Victoria and I share a look before using the sign made with Erik in mind._

"_Okay, what the heck does that mean?" he asks, obviously a bit annoyed._

"_It's a new language we're going to make up," Victoria replies while I snicker quietly._

"_Language?" Erik asks in confusion, just proving that the sign _He's an idiot_ is completely true._

"_Yes, Erik, a language," I say. "Do you _want_ the scientists to know everything we say?"_

"_Ohhhhh," he says as he realizes what we mean._

"Now_ he gets it," I mutter under my breath to Victoria, making us both snicker and Erik glare at us._

"_Oh, shut up," he says in annoyance. I pretend to zip my lips shut, but as I had been the one talking, that must mean it was me he had been talking to and not Victoria, so she speaks._

"_Why? I didn't say anything." She smiles innocently at him while I shake with silent laughter._

"_You two are evil," Erik mutter under his breath. "Why do I hang out with you again?"_

"_Because you're forced to?" I ask._

"_And because you l-" Victoria begins but Erik interrupts her._

"_Shut up!" He begins to blush for some reason. I raise an eyebrow at both of them but Erik doesn't see it and Victoria just shakes her head to tell me it's not for her to tell._

"_All I was going to say is that you like to use sarcasm with us," Victoria says innocently, though it's obvious to all three of us that it's not what she was going to say before._

"_I hate you both at times…" Erik mutters under his breath, though it's obviously aimed at Victoria more than me right now_

"_Thanks a lot, Victoria," I say, pretending to be annoyed. "Now he hates me and I didn't even do anything – yet!" Victoria snickers at the last minute addition to my statement and Erik joins in after a moment. "What? It's true." I smile innocently as I say that._

"_You're right there," Victoria admits with a smile._

_I pretend to grumble under my breath before my mask cracks and my smile comes out. The two of them are trying to hold in snickers unsuccessfully. Finally, we all just break out in laughter, unable to hold it in any longer as we all know that with a new language to make up, not even my wounds from the Erasers will get us down for at least a couple of months._

A slight smile comes to my face as I move my fingers in the sign language even though I can't feel them moving.

Sadly, I suddenly start remembering that day that my father forced me into the room with the Erasers and my body starts flinching as if I'm still there and being kicked. My mind tells me I'm back in a ball, but I can't feel it. Tears are falling out of my eyes as I feel like kicks and punches are being aimed at me over and over. It's those days all over again.

Finally, I force my mind away from some of my worse memories and move it onto a very old one that always brings a smile to my face.

Hey, Brandon? _I call with my mind._

Yes, Erika?

Can we do the kick for Kyle?

_Everyone looks up as Brandon, the one who barely made a noise before I came, starts to laugh aloud, quite loudly. He's not pointing, saying why, or giving a reason; he's just laughing. The others are all confused, but I know why he's laughing, not that I'd tell._

"_Erika, what did you say to him?" Alexa whispers in my ear, making me turn to look at her in confusion. "You're the only one not confused and you're proud of yourself for making him laugh."_

_I sigh and whisper, "Hopefully you'll see soon."_

I'd love it if you could do that! _Brandon is finally able to say into my mind. _Come to my cage and then I'll help you by holding him in place.

_A small smile succeeds on getting to my face as I try to get Alexa's hand off my arm. She just grabs it tighter and a look of concentration appears on her face, which is what happens when she's talking to Brandon. I sigh almost silently as I stop pulling and let them fight this out._

_Just as impatience starts to make its way into my system a minute or two late, Alexa smiles and I hear Brandon sigh from his cage. I just roll my eyes and concentrate on an image of Brandon's cage, pulling Alexa with me as I teleport there. When we get there, Alexa is smiling and Brandon's eyes are shining in contrast to his annoyed face. I raise an eyebrow at both of them._

No, Erika, you can't know that we said, _Brandon says into my mind, and Alexa's too by her face, earning a sad look from me. _That's final. Now, we're going to go to his cage, Alexa and I will grab him, and you can kick him. _I smile evilly as he pauses. _Alexa, I'm not saying which 'he,' but you can guess.

_I hold out a heand to each of them, letting them decide when to start. They each grab a hand without hesitation, and I think about the area behind Kyle as we teleport. The moment we're in his cage, they tackle him, Brandon grabbing his legs and Alexa his arms._

_I stand up and go to face Kyle as I listen to Jen and Shawn's sounds of amusement and confusion. With a mischievious smile on my face, I kick Kyle where it hurts a boy the most as hard as I can. Once I do, Alexa and Brandon let go of him and come stand next to me to see his reaction from the front._

_His eyes are closed as tightly as possible, his lips are pulled into his mouth and it looks like he's biting them, his hands are covering exactly where I hit him, and his legs are bent against his chest. While he does all of this, he falls onto his side and is shivering._

He's in massive pain and keeping his screams in because he doesn't want to look "weak." He's also using all of the curses he's learned from Erasers and scientists, which you shouldn't know, Erika.

_I sigh sadly before smiling, more than a little bit proud of myself. Alexa smiles while shaking her head. Brandon is obviously trying to hold in his laughter. Jen and Shawn aren't even trying over in their cages as peals of laughter fill the room._

_I offer both Alexa and Brandon a hand, taking Brandon back to his cage before taking Alexa back to ours. Once I'm leaning against her and all three of us have realized we're away from Kyle, our own peals of laughter fill the room with Shawn and Jen's. Kyle is still whimpering in his cage while he holds back both tears and screams._

Smiling at one of my greatest moments while I was young, I let laughter overcome me. Kyle had been in so much pain that it's hard not to laugh at the memory. It's definitely one of my favorites. Unfortunately, my mind moves on, though I have to say that I don't mind the memory it goes to.

_Erik and I share a glance as we both sit up and see Victoria is still asleep. With practiced ease, we both look at her, back at each other, at the bottles of water, back at Victoria, and finally back at each other again._

Perfect,_ I sign to him with a mischievous smile on my face to match the look in his eyes._

How many?_ he asks in sign._

Four,_ I reply quickly._

_With that, we both move almost silently to the bottles of water at the side of the cage, and we each grab two. Sharing a smirk, we both move silently back over to her, opening the bottles as we do and putting the caps in our mouths so that we won't burst out laughing until after our deed is done. Well, it's also so that the sound of them hitting the ground won't wake her up, but the first reason is the important one._

_We get into position. I've got a bottle over her head and the other over her torso while Erik has his over her hips and legs. Looking at each other, I begin to mouth the countdown silently after taking the bottle caps out._

"_Three… Two… One…"_

_We both pour the water onto our sleeping friend and jump back as she sits up suddenly, screaming and soaking wet._

_Erik's bottle caps join mine on the ground as we burst out laughing and fall to the ground. We can both hear Victoria yelling at us, but we ignore it in our laughter. Truthfully, we're ignoring her completely; that turns out to be our downfall._

_The next thing I know other than laughter is water being splashed all over me. I hear Erik yelling out curses while I add in a few choice ones myself before I jump towards Victoria, who's still holding two empty water bottles and laughing at us, and begin to tickle her mercilessly._

_Erik, catching on to my plan just as easily as we had made the earlier one joins in and soon Victoria is screaming at us to stop while she laughs uncontrollably. Neither of us stops, but then she suddenly begins to tickle back, beginning with Erik since he was near her hands._

_When Erik gets off of her so that she can't tickle him anymore, she attacks me, and I can't even take her touching me lightly, I'm that ticklish. I'm forced off of her by her tickling, but she doesn't stop. What's worse is that Erik rejoins the tickle fight – on _her _side._

_I try to push both of them off of me even though I'm laughing so hard I can barely breathe, but Erik catches my hands and puts them above my head with one of his hands so that I can't use them anymore. His other hand is tickling my underarms while Victoria attacks my stomach._

_Growling in frustration through my laughs, I find the strength to flip myself on top of Victoria, which successfully breaks Erik's grip on my hands, and grab her hands while I try to catch my breath. All of us are breathing heavily but smiling even though we're all soaked. We all know that this is the fun we rarely get outside of this room, so we enjoy it when we can._

I laugh as I remember being tickled by my friends. That really was a great day.

Sighing, I feel myself being pulled into yet another memory…

* * *

**School is done, and I'm free. I've been busy the past couple of weeks, which is why this is a little late. I'm going to try and write more memories today and tomorrow, but I can't really promise much. I'm leaving Wednesday for a two week road trip up the east coast, but I'll have a laptop with me, so I'll, hopefully, be able to post. Otherwise, let's just hope for the best.**

**The next chapter or two or three will also be memories like this was. I've got a list of memories I want to write, so I'm just going to try and write them to the best of my ability. When I'm done, we'll be headed to Ireland before we get to Australia and cut into my other story Old and New Attack.**

**Okay, I'm done. Please review and let me know if this was good, bad, okay, or if you're just annoyed at me for the wait.**

**Posted: 6/13/10  
**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

I fight back tears as some of my earliest memories suddenly take over my mind, bringing up something I hadn't thought about in years.

_I look around the new room the evil men in the white coats have put me in. It isn't at all like my old room, which was filled with other people – experiments, they had called them – with me. All of them had been my size or smaller in that room; in this weird room, all of the experiments were different sizes and all of them, including me, are in these strange boxes with metal walls that have huge holes in them. I can put by face between two of the metal things, the gap is so large._

_The other experiments are making weird noises, some like the men make and some like nothing I've ever heard before. Not much of it makes sense, but most of the others are looking at me. A couple of them are sleeping, though one isn't moving at all. The rest just don't look at me; those are the ones opening and closing their mouths without making a sound._

_I stare as the door opens and a man in a white coat walks with a couple more following. They talk really quietly so that I can't hear them. One of them leaves and comes back with these two things that have a lot of hair all over them, long noses, and they drool a lot. The two _things_ have a thing on wheels between them, and a box like the one I'm in is on it. There's another experiment in the new box._

_Still watching, I see the _things _open the box of the sleeping one and take it out. The other _thing_, the one not holding the sleeping experiment, gets the other one out of the cage on wheels. They switch the experiments and wheel the sleeping one out._

_I wonder why the sleeping one didn't move at all. Not a single part of his body moved the entire time I've been in here. Curious as to why, I try harder to listen to the white coat men. Only one word manages to get to my ears before they all leave and close the door behind them: "Dead."_

What's dead mean?_ I wonder curiously. I've never heard the word used in my old room. Is that what they call the sleeping experiment? Maybe that's why they took him out of the room. They'll bring him back later. He's just being brought to another room so that he'll wake up again, like they do to me when I don't want to wake up in the morning. They'll cover him in the water stuff so that he's awake again._

_I lie down on the bottom of my box with a smile on my face as I look at the top of my box, happy that the experiment will come back._

My mind tells me that tears are falling down my face even if I can't feel them as I try about my lost innocence. No matter how hard I try, the next memory fights its way into my mind until nothing I do keeps it out. I hear my own sobs as my mind replays the day I finally began to lose my innocence.

_I can't figure it out. I've slept seven times in this new box, and another nine experiments have been called "dead" by the white coat men. _

_None of them have come back._

_Their boxes are filled with new experiments, and none of the old ones come back._

_I've tried to ask what dead means, but the other experiments always shake their heads and never answer. It's like they don't want to talk even though they're always talking to themselves._

_I don't know exactly what dead means, but I think it has to do with never coming back. Those called dead are never seen again. They're gone, and they never come back._

I can't stop my tears as I remember how horrified I had been when I had finally found out what dead means. It changed my life, finding out that one word. In fact, it changed my entire outlook on life.

Sighing through my tears, I let another memory take me over.

_I run more and more, trying not to stop. Whenever I stop, the scientists hit me with the electricity pole. They don't want me to stop running on this stupid treadmill. I'm __three__! Why do they expect a three-year-old to be able to do all of this?_

_Holding in a growl of frustration, I close my eyes tightly against the tiny spots appearing in them and keep running. I imagine I'm running from the wolf-men that want to put me back into that Death Room, the place I live in._

_Thoughts of the Death Room get me running again. I may hate this testing, but being in that room of death is worse. It took me almost a month, but I finally figured out that dead meant gone from life for good. After that, I slowly began listening to scientists, experiments, and the wolf-men to pick up on every word I could and learn their meanings. I don't want to not know what's said around me ever again._

_Wincing as a shot of pain zooms up my right leg to my chest, I keep running, trying to ignore any and all pain signals my body is sending. These stupid scientists are adding to the pain with that pole, but that pain is also the easiest to keep out of my mind. No, it's the burning in my lungs for oxygen, the feel of fire in my throat for water, the cramping of my stomach for food to give me energy,_ _and the constant feel of my feet pounding on the treadmill that hurts the most. I can't force any of those feelings out of my mind no matter how hard I try._

_Slowly, the black dots start coming back to my eyes even though they're closed. Breathing becomes harder even as I push more. Not even thoughts of the Death Room help as I listen to my blood pounding in my ears and see dots of color under my eyelids._

_Pushing with all I have, I keep going, trying not to give in to the scientists. My body is fighting the sudden increase, but I keep pushing. I will not give in; I need to prove to these idiots that I'm better than them. Never again will I do something because they tell me to; I'll only do something because I want to prove to them that no matter what they do to put me down, I'm always going to fight back and fight harder._

_Finally, the dots take over my entire vision, and when I open my eyes, all I can see is black. I can't feel anymore pain; not my lungs, legs, throat, or where they're still trying to stab me with a pole. Nope, I'm too far gone to feel any pain. In fact, my senses are all gone; hearing, smelling, touch, sight, and even taste are all gone._

_I let the darkness take me with a small, proud smile on my lips._

I win.

The tears finally stop as a smile comes to my sense-less face. I remember that day perfectly; it was the day that I had finally known that no matter what happened to me in that place, I'd never give up. I'd rather die trying than die having given up.

Sadly, it also showed how mature I was. Every day I had been with Alexa and the others for that single year, I had seen the looks on their faces; they were all sad, surprised, and amazed at my maturity. I know why I've always been so mature, but no one else does; I was forced to grow up fast, without a chance to be myself, and I had to deal with things no one else I know has had to deal with. Oh, we've all been tested, but I've always been worked the hardest and the farthest.

Fighting back the thoughts, I'm amazed to see memories that aren't mine begin coming. I guess sharing in my paradise gave me the memories of at least Erik, though it wouldn't surprise me if Victoria's are somewhere in here too. The others didn't share their own memories as much as the three of us did.

_Erik grunts as the Erasers push him down the hall with their gun barrels. Fighting down a growl, he walks out into the arena that he's gotten very used to in the months he's been in Europe. His eyes roll involuntarily when he spots the stupid, woman Director among those in the audience watching the fight that's obviously about to occur._

_Erik glances in the direction of the other entrance to the room and sees a girl around his age walking into the room without Erasers following her like they always did with him. He smirks as he realizes it means they still don't trust him enough to let him walk around the building unsupervised, which they allow most of the other experiments to do._

_Looking closer at the girl, Erik sees that she too is an enhanced human. Her eyes are looking him over, trying to figure out what sort of experiment he is. Every experiment does that when they first enter this arena; it's impossible to know what the opponent is made up of. He watches as a sparkle appears in her eyes when she realizes that Erik is the same type of experiment as her._

"_This is going to be a fight that will not end until one of the experiments is out cold," the man that judges these fights calls out to the arena. Erik turns to see that he's along the inside wall, beneath the Director in the stands. "You all already know what sort of experiments they are," – Erik snorts quietly because this is something done every time; the audience knows while the fighters don't – "so the odds are obvious._

"_Experiments," he continues as he turns to face the two preparing to fight, "are you ready?" Neither speaks or nods, both just get into fighting positions; both of them have their left foot forward. "Begin."_

_Much to Erik's surprise, the girl jumps forward the moment he says that. He watches her closely as she runs forward, trying to figure out why she's attacking so straight forward; most good fighters would slowly move in before testing their opponent to figure out how to best attack. That's when it hits him. She isn't an experienced fighter._

_Holding in a pleased smile, Erik moves from side-to-side a bit so that his reflexes are ready as she gets nearer; she does have to cross the entire arena to get to him. When she's closer to him, he begins to move forward as he keeps his hands up. He doesn't know why, but he has an odd feeling that the scientists wouldn't put her into this arena with him unless she had some sort of advantage he doesn't have._

_Erik's nose twitches as the wind changes direction so that, instead of blowing from behind him, it's blowing towards him. He freezes as a single thought goes through his mind, one that would make Erika, Victoria, and Alexa hit him upside the head for - and they probably would when they saw the memory. _Fuck.

_Moving fast as the girl finally reaches him, Erik ducks under her hands, which now have claws coming out of the tips. Now Erik knew why she looked like an enhanced human, yet she also had something that made it so that his conclusion of an enhanced human took a bit longer than it normally would have – she's not completely an enhanced human._

_Turns out she's an enhanced human with some sort of feline DNA mixed in. It reminds him of how Erika is an avian-hybrid with some enhanced human traits mixed in._

_Erik mentally shakes himself to get thoughts of Erika out of his mind; he needs to concentrate on the fight, not one of his best friends._

_Ducking under her next slash to his head with her claws, Erik punches her in the side as he dances out of reach, out of the critical zone. Much to his pleasure, she winces for a moment before clearing her face of emotion, showing Erik that he had gotten a direct hit, something very hard to do in here._

_The girl moves fast, almost so fast that he can't keep up, but he does just enough to move so that her claws only leave shallow gashes on his left arm, not deep ones. Fighting back the wince from the sudden pain, Erik counters with a cross-punch and a right roundhouse kick; the punch to her face and the kick to her gut. She blocks the punch and dodges just enough that the kick only skims her._

_Trying not to growl in frustration, Erik backs away from her, his eyes never wavering. Doing an internal scan, he's happy to find that except for the gashes on his arm, which are bleeding, he had managed to get through that volley unscathed. The cuts on his arm are bearable, so to him, he's perfectly fine._

_Erik side-steps quickly into a left side kick right to her ribs, hitting her head-on as she isn't expecting him to move that quickly or that soon. The force of the kick makes her take a few steps back before she regains her balance, a cold look in her eyes as she breathes in quick, sharp breaths, obviously trying to regain lost breath._

_Erik, not one to let an advantage go to waste, moves forward with a fake punch that she blocks, though she's moving a lot slower than before, and then uses his leg to sweep hers out from under her, jumping on her so that he's sitting on her chest. She literally growls as she tries everything she can to get him off, but Erik has the stronger muscles and stays on, though just barely._

_Once a bunch of her energy is gone from trying to get him off, Erik punches her in the nose, feeling the bone break under his fist as blood gushes out of it. Holding back a wince at having to hurt someone like that, Erik punches her in the jaw, knocking her unconscious immediately with the hit. He gets off her after resetting her nose for her, backing away as scientists hurry over to her._

_Erik just watches as the scientists put her onto a stretcher and take her out of the arena, Erasers pointing guns at him as if he's the one who should be out cold and not her. Judging by the face of the audience – most specifically, the Director – that's actually the case, which annoys Erik slightly, though not for long. He's learned in his time here that none of the scientists believe the claims of the Americans that he's actually one of the best fighters they have to boast about, Erika being another._

_Bored, he allows the scientists and Erasers to take him back to his prison in the dungeons of the branch of Itex, which is nicer than being stuck in a tiny cage, but not as much fun as Flint. Erik always wishes that he can be back in Flint like old times, but he knows it won't happen, so he sighs as the memories and hopes come before forcing them away. That's what he's doing now as he sinks onto the cot made of straw and blankets he sleeps on, his head in his hands. He wishes he was five again._

I'm shocked as I realize that I had just seen the memory from his point of view completely; I could feel his emotions and hear his thoughts. I also remember hitting him upside the head when he told us that he had thought that; Alexa and Victoria had too.

I sigh as I remember all the other fights he goes through. He shows us every single one every time we meet. It's hard to watch, not because I think he can't win, but because I can picture the pain both sides go through during them, even though not all the experiments have souls anymore.

Another memory – from the exact same day, I quickly realize – comes forward, and it's more painful than the fight to see.

_Erik finally falls into a fitful sleep, his body healing from the earlier fight. He groans as he realizes he's on his back in the paradise, but he can't hear anything. In his mind, he had lost count of how many times he had been put into the paradise and been unable to talk to anyone._

_Sitting up, he sees that he's at the place where the river and lake meet. In the water, the rest of the group is playing in complete silence. Every single one of them has a huge smile on their face, and some are obviously laughing, even if he can't hear it. They're all in different places._

_A translucent Erika is in the middle of the group, laughing with her eyes sparkling and a smile covering her face. Next to her, a translucent Alexa has a sphere of water that the translucent Victoria is obviously controlling from the other side of the lake, where she's throwing her own sphere at a translucent Kyle, hitting him on the back of the head._

_Sadly, the lake isn't being disturbed by the images, nor is anything actually moving. It's like there are two planes of reality, and Erik is the only one in his while the others are in their own. _One world of fun, one world of misery_, is the statement flying through Erik's mind as he watches the images, being tortured by them. To him, being able to see all of this without being part of it is worse than being stabbed with knives all over his body._

_He's being forced to watch something that he wants to be part of, wants to be able to live in. It's worse than being taken from Flint without any warning. Plus, this just adds to the torture as he can see his friends – his family – but he can't even let them know he's there. He's tried before; it always failed._

_Finally, after watching them all have fun for another five minutes and seeing Erika look happier than she had in ages, Erik closes his eyes as tightly as he can and turns to run into the forest, eyes still shut. He uses his senses to dodge trees and bushes. Otherwise, he just runs; he's running away from his problems._

_To him, watching his loved ones have fun together without him is a nightmare, and he can't bear to see it anymore._

It's so hard to see Erik that sad just because he can't be with us in the dreams. Tears are falling down my face again as I can't stop them or the tears. My brain tells me that my legs are curled up against me and my arms are around them, though I certainly can't feel it.

I gasp as the next memory takes me over. It seems that they just get harder and harder to watch as they go on to me.

_Erik watches as five new cages are brought into his room on carts, each with an experiment in them. Sniffing the air lightly without it being obvious, he picks up on the scent of bird, which he knows only from samples of different smells the scientists had forced him to memorize. To the four-year-old Erik, it's an odd smell to come in with the five other experiments as they look as human as he is, and he definitely doesn't smell like bird._

_The scientists and Erasers put the five cages in a line around Erik's cage, two on one side and three on the other. Erik is glared at by the Erasers as they were never allowed to fight him yet, but he just looks back at them with a mask of indifference on his face. When they all finally leave, Erik lets out an angry breath before turning to look at the new experiments in his room._

_Erik is startled as he looks into the cage next to him and sees the girl in there slumped against the bars of her cage in defeat. Her brown hair is covering her face, but Erik hopes that she is naturally pale because she's so light that if she gets any whiter, she would be the same color as the lab coats the scientists wear._

_Looking around at the other experiments, Erik quickly realizes that they all have an air of defeat around them._

_Suddenly, the boy on the other side of Erik's cage looks up at him, and brown eyes meet hazel. Erik understands from the look in the hazel eyes that all five had just lost something and they all know they won't be able to get it back._

Alexa's sister,_ a voice in Erik's head whispers, _her sister Erika.

_Erik, still looking into the hazel eyes, realizes that the boy is the one telling him these things with some sort of power from the scientists._

And Alexa is… who? _Erik asks in his mind, figuring the boy with the hazel eyes would be able to hear his thoughts as well as send them._

Oh, right, you don't know… _the boy "says" quietly and slowly. _The girl in the cage next to you, the one with the brown hair, is Alexa. On her other side is Jennifer, but she only likes to be Jen. I'm Brandon and next to me is Shawn while Kyle is on the other side of Shawn.

_Erik looks at each person as the hazel-eyed boy – _Brandon, he said his name was_, Erik thinks to himself – introduces each of them without saying a single word aloud. Then, Erik remembers the first thing Brandon had said and looks up at him with horrified eyes._

Erika is four, and she was forced away from us just yesterday after the scientists knocked all of us out so that we couldn't protect her and she couldn't fight_, Brandon informs Erik while their eyes don't move, and Erik takes in the sadness in his eyes._

_Now Erik understands that air of defeat around the others. Losing someone like that would hurt, and they couldn't even do anything to help. Erik knows that he would want to help a friend, but family would be even worse to be unable to help. He looks up at Brandon, a question in both his eyes and mind._

Erika looks similar to Alexa; pale skin, brown eyes, brown hair even though she and Alexa call it dirty-blond, and their faces are similar, _Brandon says to answer the unspoken question._ The main difference is the fact that Erika is smaller, and her wings are a different color.

Wings?_ Erik thinks, not even trying to ask Brandon what he means, but he does so unintentionally anyway._

We're all avian-hybrids. Basically, we're part bird. _Erik sees movement from Brandon and is shocked when a pair of wings appear; they're two shades of brown. _We each have wings of different colors; some are similar but never identical. Our bodies are made differently as well, but we definitely look human when our wings are hidden.

_Erik just stares as Brandon moves his wings under his shirt again. He couldn't believe that all five of them have wings. The idea of it is amazing, but then Erik thinks about the scientists and begins to realize that if anyone could make it happen, it would be them. Any experiment that lasts long enough to understand what's going on around him and think for himself has to admit that no matter how evil the scientists are, they're also really smart._

"_I'm sorry about Erika," Erik says slowly, wanting to let the others know that he understands what's going on. "I wish there was some way I could help get her back."_

_Alexa looks over at Erik, and he looks directly at her, knowing that she's the one hit the hardest by all of this. Her brown eyes are so full of sorrow that they look like an endless ocean of emotions, all of them depressed. Erik wishes that he has a way to help her, to take away some of that pain and sorrow._

"_We all know there isn't," Alexa whispers in a strained voice that shows the tears she's holding back. "Erika just has to take care of herself now." Alexa laughs a heartless laugh that hits Erik harder than her eyes, making it feel like a knife is cutting through him. "At least we know she's strong and can take this better than any of us would be able to in her situation."_

"_What do you mean, Alexa?" Jen asks hesitantly after a few moments of silence._

"_She's alone," Erik says quietly as he had figured it out. Every head turns to look at him except for Alexa's as her gaze had never left his. "You five all have each other; Erika is alone. Your friend has no one she knows wherever she is while you five know one another. Even worse, she's in a place she doesn't know."_

_The room is silent as his words sink in for the others. Alexa's gaze still doesn't leave Erik's as the two of them have a silent conversation not unlike the ones I have with both of them. She's telling him how she feels while he's showing her that he understands and wants to help. Even though they had only just met, both of them understand the other as if they had known each other their entire lives._

"_Tell me about her," Erik whispers for only those in the room to hear; no human could have heard his whisper with their own ears._

_Slowly, each person takes turns telling Erik all about me. Brandon manages to convince Alexa to contribute, having her talk right after him at the beginning about how I had looked when we all first saw one another. Then they all talk about how I grew up in that year in my ability to fight, my stamina, my teleportation, my maturity, my health, and how I looked in general._

_The conversation goes on late into the night and into the next day after they all wake up after a restless sleep that even Erik shares with the others. By the time dinner comes the day after the five had been put into Erik's room, Erik has been given every detail there is to know about me at the time that the five know about. Erik now knows me as well as if he had seen me grow up for the past year along with the others._

I suddenly stop seeing memories for a while as my mind takes in the sight of Alexa, Brandon, Shawn, Jen, and Kyle as they had been the day after they had lost me. Those blasted scientists had taken me from them, and left my closest friends so depressed that Erik is breathing it in from the air.

My mind stops giving me memories for a while as I just try to accept what I had just seen. I think I fall asleep and dream about memory, but I can't really tell. All that I know is that it keeps replaying in my mind for a very long time, over and over, never stopping.

I feel like that image will never leave the inside of my eyelids again.

* * *

**No matter how bad I feel, I did warn you all that I was going on a road trip. I had Internet off and on the whole time, but I couldn't write most days. I'm going to try to get the next few chapters written as I leave Wednesday for Canada, but DO NOT hold me to it. My life is very crazy right now with my mind all over the place even if I'm mostly at home for a few more days. When we're in Canada, it should be easier, but please, don't hold me to it. I'll write when I can, post when I can, and try to finish this story before school starts up in August.**

**Now, I've got maybe five or six more memories to write - though the one I've got planned for next will probably be split into different sections so it'll be more than one - but I want to know what YOU all want. Any deleted scenes I didn't put in? Any ideas you want? Remember, you can ask because you've seen here that there are memories from others, so ask for _anything_ and I'll provide. I might have it planned to come, and if I do, you'll know in my Review Reply. If it isn't planned, you'll be credited with the idea in the next AN. Please, any ideas, ask. I'm quite willing to provide. This is the one part of the story that's free for playing with. After the memories, I know EXACTLY where it's going to go. We're almost at the final stretch.**

**Okay, I'm done. Please review and let me know if this was good, bad, okay, or if you're just annoyed at me for the wait.**

**Posted: 7/4/10 (Happy 4th of July! - It's like 2 in the morning here as I'm an Easterner.)  
**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

Finally my emotions calm down a bit more and another memory from Erik starts. At least this one lets my tears dry instead of adding more to my face.

_Erik looks around the room as the other five are brought back into the room a few months after the first time. A small smile comes to his face as he compares the two times._

_The first time, all of them had had an air of defeat around them as if nothing would be able to fix it. Now, all of them are more confident – though even Erik has to admit that Alexa still has an air of sadness around her that is slowly getting weaker and weaker – and seem a lot more relaxed._

"_Stupid Erasers attacked me for so long and so hard that I've got cuts," Kyle moans from his cage as Erik hears the shuffle of cloth that means Kyle is trying to put pressure on the cuts._

"_I told you not to become so dependent on that shield, Kyle," Alexa says mockingly as she smirks. Alexa acting like that with Kyle is the only time she acts more normal, which is the only reason why Kyle isn't moaning about it; even he misses the old Alexa and enjoys having her back, even if it is only for minutes at a time and at his expense._

"_Oh, shut up, Alexa," Kyle replies with a smile on his face as he pretends to glare at her._

"_She's right you know," Jen says in a sing-song smirk from the other side of Alexa. Kyle literally growls at her._

"_When did we get an Eraser in the room?" Erik asks calmly and with a straight face as Kyle continues to growl. That shuts Kyle up really quickly. The rest of the group, including Alexa, laughs at the look on Kyle's face while Erik just manages to keep his straight face on for a few more moments before it begins to crack and he starts laughing along with them._

_Alexa is the first to stop laughing, but she still has a light smile on her face, which is the biggest smile any in the group had seen in months. Brandon and Erik notice this first and share slightly surprised looks before Brandon smiles lightly as well._

That was all you, _he tells Erik through their minds. _She hasn't smiled like that since Erika, and you brought it out of her. _Brandon pauses as he looks at Alexa. _Thank you.

No problem, _Erik sends back as he too looks at the girl who is hurting so much at losing her sister. _I did it for her.

I know, _Brandon says, _and that's why I'm thanking you.

_Erik smiles as he looks around at the smiling group. Even though life is still hard on them, all five of them are coming around. Alexa is joking more and more, though a smile is very rare; Brandon is speaking aloud more often, though he still holds private conversations through minds without even blinking; Jen and Kyle are fighting again while Shawn is trying to stop them; Kyle is being a complete idiot more and more often – it all added up to the five of them slowly recovering and getting over the loss of Erika._

A smile covers my face, though I can't feel it, as I look at Erik's memories of how much better my family had been doing after time with him there. I may still have the image from before stuck on the back of my eyelids, but seeing them like this gives me a better image to look at when I think of that one.

Another memory begins to fill my mind before I can think of anything more.

_Erik's face scrunches up in confusion as his hearing, which is better than raptor-hearing, picks up on a conversation as he's led back to the room after testing._

"_The instructions say that those five _cannot _be in that room when it happens!" one scientist is yelling._

"_Then what are we going to do?" a second asks a bit more calmly, though he's obviously anxious._

"_I don't know!" the first yells back. "Send them to Candex for all I care! Just _get them out of there_!"_

"_What brought this on anyway?" the second asks after a moment of silence._

"THE _boss heard about what's going on in the TR," a third voice supplies. "She's furious. She said something about that experiment being very important, and treating it like that would ruin everything."_

"_Okay, but what about the sixth?" the first asks a lot more calmly. "I mean, what are we going to do with the enhanced boy?"_

"_Leave him there," the third replies. "The one in the TR can be put there with him."_

_Erik has to hold in a gasp as he realizes that the scientists are talking about him and the others. _The scientists are going to transfer the others_, is the main thought flying through Erik's head as he finally gets back to the room and is willingly put back into his cage by Erasers. Erik doesn't even respond when the others ask what's wrong until Brandon gasps loudly as he finds out the cause._

"No_…" Brandon moans quietly. Erik's head flashes up as he hears the moan._

"_You know," he states, knowing it's a fact as well as inevitable. Brandon can only nod._

"_We're being transferred," Brandon tells the others quietly. The others all go into varying states of shock at the news._

_Alexa freezes as her eyes close and her head falls. Jen's eyes widen; Kyle's do also, though his jaw also falls. The only reaction from Shawn is a stiffening of his body. Not a single one of them says a word._

"_I'm not going to be alone, though," Erik adds quietly._

"_What?" Alexa whispers, her head coming up and her eyes opening._

"_They're going to send another experiment here to stay with me," he elaborates._

"_Wait!" Kyle says more loudly than necessary. "You're not coming with us?"_

"_No," Erik replies quietly as he realizes that the others had thought by "we" Brandon had meant all six of them. "Just you five."_

"_But you won't be alone, right?" Jen asks quietly, her normal happiness gone for the moment._

"_Right," Erik confirms. "They're sending another experiment in here soon. They only want you five out for some reason."_

_The room falls silent as all six of them wonder why the scientists want only the five of them out so suddenly. Alexa has silent tears falling down her face as her hands clench and unclench over and over. She's the only one Erik is looking at as he knows she'll still be hit the hardest even though she's getting better after the whole Erika thing after six months._

_Suddenly, Alexa moves her hand so fast that Erik has trouble following it as she grabs one of the feathers on the floor of her cage that she had been holding on to. She then moves as close as she can to Erik in her cage, facing Erik with the brown and gold feather in her hand._

"_Erik," she says quietly, getting the attention of the others, though they all stay quiet, "I need you to do me a favor."_

"_Anything," Erik replies as he looks into the sad eyes and realizes that whatever she wants him to do will be giving her a little peace._

"_If you ever see Erika, please, give this to her," Alexa pleads as she holds out the secondary feather to Erik in the space between their cages. Erik slowly reaches his arm out and meets hers halfway, grabbing the feather lightly as if it's a treasure._

"_I'll guard it with my life," Erik responds._

"_Oh, and make sure you tell her that I didn't pull it out; I had just molted when I gave you that," Alexa adds with a slight smirk on her face and a small sparkle in her eyes that Erik had never seen the entire six months he had known the five._

"_Do you want me to pass on anything else?" Erik asks with a raised eyebrow._

"_Only that the feather is for her to remember me by," Alexa replies, the smile gone but the sparkle still in her eyes._

_Erik nods, trying not to think about how that would probably be the last time he saw his five friends for a long time._

I try not to cry as I feel Erik's emotions, see everyone else's reactions, and watch the scene of Alexa giving Erik the feather that had meant so much to me even after I had lost it, but I can't hold them back. It's all too much for me and I sob at the memories even while I try to fight them.

More memories fill my head from Erik. I watch his point of view of times with me, other memories from before he had met my family, more memories of time with my family, and memories from after he had left Flint, none in a specific order. Then, suddenly, Victoria's memories begin to fill my head.

I watch as she reads book after book, some novels and some educational. She uses computers for hours at a time. Then I see the other testing the scientists put her through up until the time she was moved to Candex. That's when I get to see my family again.

_Victoria is very bored. Candex is a boring place that gives her nothing to do but stupid tests and exercises that involve a track and a field. She had just previously lived in a place where they had computers and books for all of the experiments to use for hours at a time each day. Just sitting in a room, eating, sleeping, testing, and exercising isn't her idea of fun, especially after that stuff._

_When the door opens and five experiments are led into the normally locked room, Victoria's eyes light up slightly. She's excited that she'll finally have people to talk to and do things with._

"_You'll be living here from now on," the scientist that had brought the five into the room says. "Behave and don't try to escape; you won't like the consequences. This one here can fill you in on how we do things around here." The scientist nods at Victoria as he says that, drawing the eyes of the others to her._

_With that, the scientist turns on his heel and exits the room, locking it with at least three bolts, a lock on the handle, and a few electronic locks._

_Victoria turns to the five experiments that had just been brought into her room and just barely manages to hold in her surprise at the sight that greets her._

_Four of the experiments surround the fifth, who is obviously barely keeping it together at the moment. Victoria just watches as a light-brown haired boy brushes the darker brown, long hair of the face of the girl whose eyes are closed tightly and her face looks as if she's in pain. The blood girl is rubbing circles right in the middle of the other girl's back, exactly where Victoria's wings meet on her own back._

_The boy with black hair just has a hand on the girl's shoulder and has his eyes closed, though his face mainly shows a little sadness and worry. The other boy with brown hair, which is slightly darker than the other's, has a sad expression on his face and has a hand on her other shoulder while the other is rubbing up and down her arm._

_Victoria feels as if she's intruding on a very personal moment for the five, so she walks almost silently to the corner of the room, puts her back to the corner of the wall, and slowly slides down it. Once she's sitting, her knees come up to her chest and her arms wrap around them, all of this instinctual. Her head is resting on her knees as she watches the group try to comfort the girl in the middle, who isn't cry, but what she is going through seems to be much worse._

_Victoria's feelings were a bit confused, but the one at the forefront of them all was a wish to help the girl. After that, the emotion would actually be a bit of relaxation mixed in with happiness as Victoria finally has people to talk to, even if it won't happen for a while. It's as if her wishes have come true._

_After an immeasurable amount of time, the brown-haired girl's face begins to relax, as if whatever had been causing her pain suddenly left her. The girl opens her eyes and looks straight at the curled-up Victoria in the corner, brown eyes piercing brown eyes. That's when Victoria realizes that _she_ had been the one to calm the girl down somehow. Victoria doesn't understand it, but she's glad she has been a help to the girl._

"_I read emotions," the girl suddenly says in a raspy voice that practically shouts unused voice. "Yours were a mix of wanting to help, relaxing, and happiness." The girl then turns to the boy with the light-brown hair, the one who had pushed the hair from her face._

"_She needed something to concentrate on to control herself," the boy says as he turns to look at Victoria with hazel eyes that are full of gratitude, happiness, and relief. "Your emotions calmed her enough that she was able to fight the pressure of her own mixed with the rest of ours."_

_Victoria couldn't even think of anything for a moment, but the first question in her mind, though she never says it aloud, is how in the world the two of them had known what she had been wondering. It takes her a moment, but she realizes that the girl must have felt her confusion, but she still couldn't understand the boy._

I read and talk into minds_, the voice of the boy says into Victoria's mind, surprising her immensely, though she doesn't react physically. _Sorry, but it's easier to just prove it by doing it than saying it aloud and having you think I'm lying.

It's okay, _Victoria thinks softly. _I just wasn't expecting it.

Okay_, the boy replies before pausing and speaking again. _I'm Brandon, the girl you think of as the brown-haired girl is Alexa, and the other girl is Jen. Shawn is the other boy with brown hair while Kyle is the annoying boy with black hair.

_Victoria nods so that Brandon knows she gets it. Looking around, she puts faces and bodies to names. Once she has them down, she starts wondering why Alexa had been so upset when they had gotten there._

"_What happened?" Victoria asks the group, speaking for the first time, knowing they'd all know what she was asking._

"_We were just taken from a friend after being taken from Alexa's sister six months ago," Shawn says softly, his sad eyes still looking at the group._

"_I still haven't recovered completely from losing Erika," Alexa whispers, her face towards the ground._

"_Erika is her sister," Brandon throws in, seeing the question in Victoria's mind before she can ask it._

"_Oh," Victoria mutters as everything clicks into place in her mind._

_The room falls silent as no one has anything to say. Victoria walks over to Alexa in the silence and puts a hand on her shoulder, her thumb rubbing her neck. Alexa looks up at Victoria, and Victoria can see pain in the brown eyes that are a darker shade than her own._

_Without meaning to, the pain Victoria feels from being forced away from her old home comes to the front of her mind, and shock passes through Alexa's eyes, making Victoria try to push down her own pain unsuccessfully._

_Alexa pulls herself away from the others and hugs Victoria, surprising Victoria for a moment before she returns the hug, unable to do anything else._

"_Our pain is from different sources, but we both feel it," Alexa whispers into Victoria's ear so quietly that Victoria can barely hear it, let alone the others._

_When they let go, both know that they'll be able to help the other get through her pain as they alone understood exactly what the other was going through. Even though Victoria's pain comes from losing her home while Alexa's is from losing her sister, both have lost something dear to them, and that's something that no one else can sympathize with unless he or she feels the pain too._

_Victoria realizes this as she looks Alexa in the eyes. They both know that no matter how hard it might be, they're going to talk with each other and get the other out of their funk._

Tears fill my eyes even as I smile happily at that memory. It's hard to see these times for my friends, but seeing them come to realize things like how they'll be able to move on from all of the pain and sorrow is something that makes me so happy.

From there, I get to see talks between my two favorite girls as they work together to get over their grief and pain. My emotions move from sadness to pain and back as I watch these memories because I couldn't help them when they needed me the most, but we all know that I would have been there if I could have.

Another memory surfaces that catches my attention and it slows down so that I can watch it properly.

_Six-year-old Victoria smiles lightly at Alexa as they run around the track side-by-side. Alexa returns the smile before looking over her shoulder, Victoria following suit. Behind them, Victoria could see Shawn shaking his head along with Brandon while they run behind an arguing Jen and Kyle._

_Sharing a smirk, both girls face the front again and pick up the pace a bit, neither of them breathing very hard even after half an hour at that pace._

_Victoria thinks about how far she and Alexa had come in the past year along with the others. Now Alexa and she smile a good percent of the time, they joke around, both of them take turns teasing Kyle, and not even the other four could complain about how different Alexa is. From what Brandon tells her mentally, the Alexa she sees now is about as close as she's ever going to see Alexa to her old self._

_One side of her lip curling up, Victoria remembers how she and Alexa had managed to completely soak Kyle in water to wake him up that morning. Kyle had chased the two of them around the room, succeeding in waking up Shawn and Jen, until Jen had tripped him and gotten him to laugh at the whole thing._

Life is a lot easier now_, Victoria thinks quietly, trying not to send it to Kyle unsuccessfully._

It is, _he agrees as he picks up the stray thought and smiles slightly as he hears it._

We're all going to make it, _Victoria thinks, not caring that Brandon could hear that thought._

We are,_ he agrees._

_Victoria goes back to running with her thoughts and memories, a slight smile on her face._

All I can do is smile as I see that memory before more happy memories take over my mind, flashing quickly through my mind. Then, I feel sadness as I realize what the next memory is of. Unfortunately, it's one of the ones that slows down so that I can see it in perfect detail.

_Victoria looks around the room as she and the others just hang out in their cages. Shawn and Jen are as close as they can get, talking in hushed but fast whispers. Kyle is doing push-ups and sit-ups for some odd reason; he probably thought he could make himself stronger by doing it. Brandon has his eyes closed and seems to be moments away from sleep, though they all know better as this is the trance he goes in when listening to minds around the Itex branch._

_Smiling to Alexa in the cage next to her, Victoria moves so that she's lying down on the floor with a pillow under her head, wanting to take a nap. Just as she's about to fall asleep, everyone hears Brandon jerk and sit up straight quite suddenly. Victoria sits up, all sleep gone from her mind at the sight of Brandon worried._

"_They're coming for us," he warns in a voice that says we won't like the reason._

"_What do you mean by that?" Kyle asks; it's actually a smart question for once._

"_We're all being moved," Brandon whispers. In the cage next to mine, Victoria sees Alexa stiffen, her jaw clenching and eyes narrowing. "All six of us are being moved –"_

_Victoria could see that Brandon hadn't finished, as could Alexa, but the others all breathe out a sigh of relief._

"_-but Victoria is being sent somewhere different," Brandon finishes even more softly than before, making the other three stiffen along with Alexa._

"_Not again," Jen groans lightly._

_Turning directly to Alexa, Victoria says, "We'll all be fine. Alexa, we've been working for a year, and we won't go back to how we were. All of us will survive this. Just remember all of the good times we've had, and we'll be fine, Alexa."_

"_Thank you," Alexa says softly as she relaxes and she smiles ever so slightly after thinking over Victoria's words._

Thank you_, Brandon says into Victoria's mind, echoing Alexa. _Your words helped her so much_._

I know_, Victoria replies silently._

"_We'll pull through this," Victoria states matter-of-factly. "No matter what happens, we have these memories to pull us through, so just remember them and nothing will ever destroy us like they did before."_

_Every single on of the six smile and share a silent agreement just as the scientists come in to take them all away, Victoria watching as the other five are taken to the left while she's led to the right._

Wiping away tears I can't feel, I watch memories of times after that for Victoria. Some of them are from between that last clear memory and meeting Erik and I while others are times with Erik and I from her point of view; finally, the rest are of the shared memories of after my leaving Flint.

Sighing sadly, I watch as the last of Victoria's memories pass through my mind and ones from my own past filter through to the front again.

* * *

**Okay, I can officially say that there is one more chapter full of memories, and then we move on. Now, before you all think about harming me for taking another two weeks, let me inform you of a few things. One, I'm now in Canada, keep having family over at my grandparents' house, and I'm volunteering during the week. Two, I've got Chapter 34 finished and ready for posting when I decide to post it, which depends on how much writing I get done after the dishes tonight and over the next few days. Three, I've got the last six chapters completed and ready for posting once I write the parts between the Isolation Tank and where my story merges with Old and New Attack.**

**Now, you can all tell me how much you hate me, want to hurt me, or how happy you are I got so much work done even though it took me a while to get the memories done. Oh! Also tell me what you've thought of the memories besides "good" in general for all three chapters of them so far, please. It's nice to know you like them, but can you try to be more specific?**

**Well, I'll talk to within the week, hopefully. Please review.**

**Post: 7/18/10  
**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

Memories of my own life begin flowing through me, some recent and some from long ago. The next one that slows down enough for me to see it completely is a recent one.

_I open my eyes and I'm shocked to see the obstacle course in my paradise. Then, I look closer and a light smile comes to my lips. The course is made to train the animals I've been changing into. There's a level above for flying animals, one really small for animals like rats and snakes and rabbits, and another two or three levels for the larger animals._

_Deciding that this will be the perfect practice, I turn into a hawk, the first bird I had changed into originally. It's best to use an animal that's similar to my normal form, meaning one with wings._

_Taking to the air, I get used to being small and having smaller wings for a bit. Once I feel I'm ready to get going, I start flying in and out of hoops, up and down in rolling hills through hoops, zigzagging between poles that are pretty close together. Then I start flying up high and adding in steep dives that I pull out of at just the right moment so that my talons are gliding over the grass._

_Finally, I slip out of hawk form and into snake form. I spend a couple of minutes trying to move forward, but I just can't figure out how to move in this form. Hissing in frustration, I stop moving, close my eyes, and try to remember what Victoria once said about snakes._

_Unable to remember how they move, I try to let my instincts take over me so that I can learn. Once my mind stops thinking and lets the snake into it, I begin slowly moving side-to-side. By letting the snake take over, my body adjusts to the movements of a snake and quickly picks them up._

_Letting my mind come to the front of it again, I just follow the movements my body is using. While that happens, I adjust in my own mind to how I'm supposed to move in this form._

_When I'm finally used to it, I go towards the obstacle course right near the ground. Slithering around the poles, moving up some hills and through underground-tunnels, and lifting myself up off the ground so that I can get through lifted hoops, I adjust completely to my snake form. By the time I've run the course twice, I don't even have to think to do anything in this form; I can just do it._

_Changing from the snake to a rat, I begin getting used to the idea of being short and with a long tail. I run the same course as the snake, getting used to being a rat much faster than a snake as a rat runs on four legs just like a wolf or a cougar, though it is different._

_After the rat, I turn into a bear so that I can get used to having the extra weight on. After that, I train with my monkey form, which is a lot of fun as I'm very agile, light, and moveable; plus, it's just plain fun._

_Once the monkey is trained, I move onto my fox form. After I'm done with the fox, I quickly start changing just so that I'm used to my other animals: Housecat, dog, horse, owl, raven, tiger, cheetah, rabbit (which I actually need to train a little with), and lynx._

_When I'm finally done training all of them, I start to have some fun._

_I start out as a wolf, begin the course for an animal that's larger and on the ground, and suddenly change into a lion in the middle of an obstacle. I finish the course and start it again as a lynx, switching into a cheetah and then a cougar at different parts of it. Then I do it again with the bear, monkey, and horse. I go a final time starting as a dog and then switching to a tiger before suddenly becoming an owl and flying up to that course._

_I do the aerial course, switching between my owl, raven, and hawk forms for a while before suddenly diving as a hawk and switching into a rat just as I reach the ground, doing the smaller course. I do that course as a snake, fox, housecat, and rat before going into my avian-hybrid form and doing the larger ground course and then switching into the aerial one._

_By the time I'm about to wake up, I'm smiling, breathing a bit heavily, and I've had so much fun._

_That's how you train to use different animals._

Smiling as I remember that night, my mind tells me I'm switching between every animal I can become before finally ending in my normal form. Knowing that I can still shape-shift while in this tank is something that relaxes me slightly. Unfortunately, I tense up again as I realize what the next memory is.

_I wake up slowly in my shape of a ball, my body curled in as tightly as I can make it, from my normal nightmare again. Looking around, I make no move to uncurl myself or sit up, knowing that I'll just hit myself on either the top of the cage or the bars of it if I move more than just slightly._

_Chains covered in dried blood are hanging from the wall to my right, and I take in the scent that has become one of the only things I ever smell now. At first, the smell of blood that old, in that amount, and never leaving had made me sick over and over. In fact, I can still smell my own sick from the first two weeks or so I had been in here, about five months later._

_My stomach growls lightly, exactly as I was expecting it to. Whenever I first wake up, my stomach forgets that it isn't supposed to be hungry until half an hour later. After that amount of time, the hunger pains go away and my stomach stops growling. I had learned long ago that I have to live with food only once a week, and very little of it at that; usually it's stale bread and a half-full bottle of water._

_A dry throat makes itself known now, adding to the pains from my stomach. I've given up trying to fight the dryness of my throat, knowing nothing would make it go away except liquids._

_Closing my eyes as my vision starts to spin from lack of food and water, I take in deep breaths, trying to use air to replace the missing nutrients that keep a person alive. When my dizzy spell is over, I ease my breathing and open my eyes again, looking around the room._

_Slowly moving one leg, I feel the grime covering my body from months of no baths, the slime that had already been on the cage, and the dust that develops in this room. Sighing, I bring my leg back up to my chest and slowly move both of my arms, stretching them out between the bars of the cage, after they're at my chest again, I stretch out my other leg._

_Done stretching for the day, I close my eyes and do the one thing I can actually do: Sleep._

_Just before falling asleep, I think about my sister and friends. A single tear escapes my closed eyes as I let my sadness and loss overcome me, lulling me to sleep._

I cry for the terrible life I've had, that room being one of the worst parts of it. The starvation had almost killed me, and no one cared enough to stop it. My nightmares take place in that room more than any other room that I've ever been in. That one room is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

I sigh through my tears as the next memory is a kinder one.

_Opening my eyes alone in my paradise, I slip into the lake and begin swimming. It's very boring in my paradise alone, so I usually swim in it when I can._

_Holding my breath, I duck under the water and go as far down as I can, trying to reach the bottom of the lake. Sadly, just as I finally catch sight of the bottom of the deepest part of the lake, I feel my lungs begin to burn and I have to kick up to the surface._

_Taking in deep breaths, I groan internally, wishing there was a way for me to get to the bottom without using my ability to manipulate my paradise._

_Closing my eyes while floating on top of the water, I feel the sun on my body. Thinking about my wish to be able to reach the bottom, I think about my force field. My eyes snap open as I realize what I might be able to do._

_Concentrating as hard as I can, I try to make my force field appear around only my nose and mouth. After a good bit of time and work, it finally happens. In fact, it took so long that, by the time I finally had it, the sky was changing colors. Giving it up for tonight, I let myself wake up._

_The next night when I appear in my paradise, I immediately make my force field around my nose and mouth. Once that's done, I work on trying to make two force fields at once. I want to be able to have one around my nose and mouth while I have another around my eyes, but I don't want my entire face covered in a force field. Plus, being able to cover certain parts of my body would be useful in the future._

_It takes me another three nights before I'm able to hold two force fields for any good length of time, but it finally happens. Instead of doing what I had originally planned, I spend another two weeks making it so that I can make five force fields appear at random parts of my body with just a thought, all of them appearing in one breath._

_With that finally done, I make a single force field around my nose and mouth before finally beginning my original plan. For the next month, I spend all of my nights working on making it so that my force field will take water and leave out the hydrogen molecules, leaving only the oxygen ones; I had learned the terms from the scientists._

_When I finally get it, I put a normal force field around my eyes and my special one around my nose and mouth. Ducking underwater, I smile as I can breathe and see easily for the first time._

_Swimming down deep into the lake, I finally reach the bottom, breathing the air my force field is providing. Once I'm down there, I begin walking along the bottom, just enjoying the fact that I've finally succeeding in a task I've been working on for almost two months; that sort of accomplishment just gives a person a sweet feeling._

_The last thought as I realize I'm waking up is that this is going to be so much fun to use at the next shared dream._

I feel my pride come back as I remember how hard I had worked to succeed at that and finally done it. It had been tough, but I never gave in. Of course, the next time I shared a dream with the others had been hilarious.

_Snickering lightly, I push Erik into the lake. He turns to glare at me, but I just smile innocently at him. To my surprise, Erik suddenly smiles and nods. The next thing I know, I'm in the water and glaring up at Kyle, who had just pushed me into the lake._

_I feel a pull on my leg and look down just in time for Erik to pull me under the water and further out into the lake. Smirking evilly, I decide to get revenge as Erik lets go and kicks up to the surface._

_Making my force fields, which I haven't had the chance to tell the others about as we've only been here for an hour or so, I swim deeper into the lake and out of view unless they actually know where to find me. Once I'm in place, I wait, watching the surface to see when someone is in my view._

_After about five minutes of waiting, I see Kyle swimming above me, his own force field covering his eyes so that he can see more clearly._

_Seeing that sight, my eyes widen in shock. I had forgotten I'm not the only one with the ability to use force fields. That means I might be able to teach Kyle how to make his own special so that he can breathe underwater, but first…_

_An evil smile on my face, I wait until he's far away from me and then swim after him, using my ability to manipulate my paradise to move faster through the water. Coming up behind him, I grab both of his ankles and pull him deeper into the lake. Kyle spins around, sees me, and his eyes widen in surprise and shock._

_I put one of my hands over his mouth and form a force field that will allow him to breathe still over it. While I may not be able to hold the force field unless I'm really close to his mouth, it will at least allow him to breathe; it's the best I can give him for now._

_My power over my paradise drags us deeper into the lake until I say we're far enough and put both of my arms around his neck, actually scaring him for a moment before he realizes I'm doing it so that we have a force field that surrounds both of our heads so that we can still breathe as well as talk._

"_What in the world is this?" Kyle demands once he figures out that I can hear him._

"_I've been playing around with the force field," I inform him gesturing to the one around us with my head as I talk. "This will allow anyone with it on to breathe underwater."_

"_How the hell did you actually get it to work like this?" Kyle is looking at the slightly shining force field around us, which is more visible to anyone with the power than to someone without it._

"_Almost two months of work to make multiple force fields and this type of shield. This one alone took at least a month to perfect." I smile a smile that shows a bit of pride in it, as this shield was a really hard one to make._

"_Wow," he whispers in awe. "How exactly did you make it do this?"_

"_Concentrate on making your force field let only oxygen in, not the water, instead of nothing," I tell him, giving him the only advice I can. "Otherwise, you have to figure this out on your own, sadly. We think differently, so getting it to work will be different for the two of us."_

_Kyle nods in understanding. "It makes sense. Well… why don't we go freak everyone out?" I match Kyle's mischievous look with one of my own._

"_Let's," I agree before putting one hand over his mouth and making a force field there before recreating the ones around my eyes and my nose and mouth._

_Keeping my hand on his mouth, I let go of him and use the water to push us up towards the surface and where Erik is. Sharing a smirk with Kyle, we each reach out and grasp an ankle each, pulling him down under the water. My paradise pushes us deeper, and Erik has already managed to look down at us and glare for a moment before he notices the force fields I'm holding up for us and stares in shock and surprise._

_I eventually push all three of us up and drop all three of the force fields, moving my hand away from Kyle's mouth._

_Snickering, Kyle and I just enjoy the look on Erik's face, knowing that in the future, when Kyle learns how to do it, we're going to have a bunch more fun with this way to use our power._

I snicker in the tank as I remember the look on Erik's face. More memories of Kyle and I using that part of our force fields zoom through my head, though none as funny as that one. The first time is always the best, though Kyle and I had truly figured out some great ways to use that and scare or surprise the others.

Thinking of funny situations, another from when I was really young comes back to me.

"_Hey, Erika," Alexa whispers into my ear softly, trying not to be heard by anyone, "can you put all of us into one cage and leave it like that until a scientist comes in and sees us?"_

_Turning to face my older sister, I see that while her face is completely relaxed as if she hadn't just asked me that, her eyes are shining mischievously. I smile innocently and tip my head forward ever so slightly so that she knows I'll do it. Grabbing onto my shoulder, Alexa speaks._

"_Hey, guys," she calls out to the others, getting their attention. "Erika is going to move us all into one cage so that the scientists will come in confused when they bring us lunch in about ten minutes."_

"_Nice one!" Kyle calls while rolling on the floor of his cage laughing._

"_I have to agree," Jen says through her own laughter._

"_Me too," Brandon and Shawn agree through light chuckles._

_With agreement from everyone else, I concentrate on Brandon's cage and appear there. He grasps my other shoulder and I take us to Shawn's cage as he's the only other one somewhat calm. Shawn puts his hand on my arm and holds it a bit tightly._

_Going to Jen's cage, the four of us wait until she's calm enough to grab my left arm, the one Shawn hadn't grabbed before. We finally end up in Kyle's cage, where Kyle is still chuckling lightly._

_Everyone lets go of me, and we all find a spot in the medium-sized cage. It's a bit cramped, but in the end, I'm leaning against Alexa, who's sitting beside Brandon. Jen and Shawn are sitting with Jen in front of Shawn while Shawn leans against the bars. Kyle is leaning on a bar between the two groups._

_By the time the scientist comes in with lunch, we're all laughing at something Kyle had said. The look on the scientist's face when he sees us all in one cage just makes us all laugh even harder._

That had been a really good day. I'm laughing my head off in the tank as I remember all of that. Other funny memories from that time of my life using my teleportation come back, including my kicking Kyle again. Once those are done flashing through my mind, another memory that's funny now but wasn't when it happened comes back.

"_Hey!" Erik exclaims when he sees what's on the lunch tray for today. "They've given us at least three dozen cookies today!"_

"_Oh man," I groan under my breath to Victoria. "Please, help me keep him away from those things."_

"_Sure," she whispers back, her face worried as, even though she hasn't been here when we have cookies in this place, she can tell that Erik and sugar will _not_ mix._

_I hurry over to his side of the cage where the food is and take the box of cookies from him. He turns to grab them from me and I throw them to Victoria, who catches them and puts them behind her._

"_Give me those!" Erik yells as he shoots himself towards Victoria, who screams and throws them back to me._

"_Only after you eat the rest of the meal, _and_ if you make sure to share," I tell him as he spins around but doesn't launch himself at me for some reason._

"Fine_," he groans he realizes he won't win this round with two of us in the cage._

_Nodding, I teleport into the farthest cage, my old one, and leave the cookie tin in there before teleporting back into the shared cage to eat lunch. When we're all finished, Erik turns to me with an expectant look on his face._

_Sighing sadly, I teleport back to the cookies and pull out nine, three for each of us. Teleporting back, I hand Victoria hers and then Erik his._

"Three?_" he exclaims. "I want more than three!"_

"Erik_," I groan. "You have to remember what happened last time you had more than three cookies."_

"_Nope," he replies after thinking about it for less than a second._

"_Ugh…" I groan before going back and getting him three more. "There; that's all you're getting."_

_Erik quickly eats all six of his cookies while Victoria and I eat three each. Even though he has double the amount the two of us do, he's done before either of us._

"_Can I have another one?" Victoria asks me softly. I nod and teleport to the cookies again, but this time, Erik grabs onto my shirt and comes with me, grabbing the tin before I can and only throwing me two before devouring the rest._

_I stare at him in shock, and I can see Victoria doing the same from the other cage, as he eats every single crumb in the tin. Shaking myself out of it, I teleport back to Victoria before Erik can grab onto me again. With that many cookies in his system, we're going to need to have that distance between us._

_As we both eat our last cookies, Erik's sugar rush kicks in and he starts talking without even taking a breath. When he realizes we're not going to bring him back to the cage or talk to him, he starts moving all over the cage he's in. We both have to hold in snickers as we watch him doing push-up and sit-ups in his cage before sitting on his knees and practicing punching against the bar of the cage._

_He continues to do these sorts of things for the next hour or so before the crash suddenly hits and he collapses, falling asleep without any warning whatsoever._

"_That's why you wanted me to help you keep the cookies away, isn't it?" Victoria asks, speaking for the first time since Erik had eaten the cookies, as she stares at his sleeping form._

"_That's the reason," I agree before teleporting and bringing him back into our cage so that he can sleep._

_Turning to her, we both sign the exact same thing at the exact same moment. _We are _never_ letting him near the cookies again.

We had never let him touch cookies again. I actually remember telling the scientists to never bring them again, and they didn't. It was the biggest relief for Victoria and I not to have to deal with Erik and sugar; cookies are the worst when it comes to sugar with Erik, though.

Still, thinking back on it, I can see the humor in the memory, though I hadn't felt like laughing at all back then.

Suddenly, I begin to relax as another memory takes me over.

_Erik, Victoria, and I are led into the arena we fight Erasers in, but this time there are no Erasers or anything else to fight. For the first time ever, the scientists are letting us just fly around._

_The scientists turn us loose, and Victoria and I unfurl our wings in moments. This is the first time I've gotten to fly since those two days with the Erasers, and I need to make sure my wings aren't stiff of anything._

_Pushing off from the ground, Victoria and I fly in small circles, making them larger as we go, until all of us are sure that I'll be fine. Once that's made certain, I fly down and pick Erik up under the armpits with my arms and fly up again, a bit slower with the extra weight._

_A smile comes to my face as the three of us fly over the plains, the tall grass, the lake, and the trees. We all circle around the arena, just enjoying the chance for Victoria and me to spread our wings and fly._

_This is one of the few moments the three of us really get to feel at peace in this place. More importantly, it's my first chance to relax in months._

I've never been more peaceful than that except in the air and in my paradise. It was one of the most relaxing days of my life, so remembering it brings back that feeling.

More memories flow through my mind for a long time before I suddenly come to the last memory, one of my most precious.

_It's been a week since the last shared dream in my paradise with the others, and Erik, Victoria, and I are about to fall asleep. For some odd reason, I just feel like we're going to share the dream again, but I don't know why._

_Either way, when I wake up on my back in my paradise, I'm not surprised. Sitting up quickly, I see that the others are all rubbing their eyes while I just stand up and walk over to Alexa and Victoria, who are sitting up side-by-side. Offering a hand to each of them, I pull them up._

"_Is this real?" Alexa asks me, knowing I'm probably the best person to ask._

"_Yup," I reply while nodding. "Whenever it's just a normal dream, I don't come here on my back; I'm always standing when I'm alone."_

"_Sweet!" Kyle calls as she jumps onto his feet, his wings unfurling through his shirt._

"_For once, I have to agree with Kyle," Shawn says calmly as he slowly stands up before helping Jen stand while Alexa helps Brandon and Victoria helps Erik._

"_I can't believe this is real," Alexa whispers to me as she hugs me tightly, all of us happy and relieved to see each other again._

"_Me neither, but it is," I reply, a smile on my face that hasn't been seen in a week._

_As we let go, everyone unfurls their wings and takes off into the air, Shawn carrying Erik. We all head to the lake in the distance, smiles on our faces._

_Flying in my paradise surrounded by my family, I realize that this is the best day of my life._

That moment in my life is still the best of my life so far. Nothing in my life since then has ever beaten realizing that the eight of us would get to see one another through dreams no matter how far away we are.

Remembering all of my life, of my family's lives, makes me realize that no matter how hard life has been, we've always come out on top of it.

Realizing that makes me sigh deeply, close my eyes, and relax so much that I can actually feel myself fall asleep for the first time, though I know I must have slept sometime during all of those memories.

Nothing these scientists throw at me will beat me; I always beat them. If I need to realize that and relax to beat this test, then I will.

Sleep claims me, and for the first time, I realize it, giving myself willing to it.

* * *

**Well... Memories are done, I've got maybe a page and a half of the next chapter done, and I'm going to try and write the rest of it today. Including this in progress chapter, I think I have 2-4 more chapters to write and then you all will just get post after post after post. Once I finally get those few chapters done, the finish line is in sight and I'll be sprinting to it (Sorry, cycling reference... The Tour de France just ended like half an hour ago and I still can't believe it's done).**

**Please, let me know what you think of all the memories. Which ones were your favorites? Are there any that stood out to you? Let me know, please. :)**

**Posted: 7/25/10 (The last day of the 2010 Tour de France.)  
**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

I open my eyes, expecting the blackness known as the Isolation Tank, and I have to snap them shut just milliseconds after opening them, the sudden whiteness of light almost blinding me in that time.

Instead of opening my eyes again, I let my other senses rule my body for the moment.

I feel a cold metal surface under me and a light blanket on top of me. The smell of antiseptic fills my nose. My tongue tells me that I've been given water recently. It's my hearing that interests me the most, though, as I can hear a conversation outside my door.

"Three _months_?" a female voice exclaims loudly. "I had heard that she's strong, but I didn't think she had strong character as well," she said more quietly, as if to herself.

"What do you mean?" a man asks the woman.

"Those who survive the longest in the tanks have an inner strength that the other experiments don't seem to," she explains. "The thing is, the longest I've seen any experiment go is a month and a half at the most, and very few go that long."

I groan internally, realizing that they're talking about me and that I've gone past the best yet again. _I've got to stop doing that._

"Oh…" the man says quietly, his voice showing that he's surprised by this.

"Yes, _oh_," the woman replies and I hear one of them flipping papers around, probably on a clipboard.

"What do we do with her now?" the man asks after the paper stops flipping and I hear the click of a pen being opened.

"First and foremost, we feed her as much as we can and get her re-hydrated," the woman replies, and I hear the scratching of a pen on paper, telling me that the man is writing it all down. "Then, we send her to get fixed up." The pen pauses its movement.

"You don't mean?" the man asks in disbelief, probably staring at the woman with his mouth slightly open and widened eyes.

"Yes," the woman snaps. "We're going to send her to Dublin."

"But Ireland is only used for the worst cases that need healing," the man complains, still unable to believe what the woman is saying.

"You don't think three months in that thing calls for extensive healing?" the woman retorts angrily. "We send any experiment that lasts at least a month in that thing to Dublin; her lasting _three_ months just says that she needs it _more_ than most!"

"What do they do to them there?" the man asks after the pen finally begins scratching on the paper again.

"Readjust them into being in smaller places and then around people," the woman replies shortly, obviously still annoyed at the man. "Most experiments can't stand to be around others or in closed-in spaces after being in the Tank."

"Got it," the man replies, his voice pitch changing ever so slightly and the rustle of clothing telling me that he nods once as he says it.

"Good," the woman says sharply. "Now go and see if she's awake. If she is, get someone else to bring food in and _make sure she eats it_!"

"Yes, ma'am," the man returns quickly. The woman is obviously one of the higher-ups in this branch.

Footsteps tell me that one of the scientists – the woman from what I had just heard – is walking away while the other is entering the room. Turning my face in the direction of the door with my eyes still shut to keep out the blinding light, I hear the door open and shut quickly before the man walks over to where I'm laying.

"Are you awake?" the man asks sharply, as if he doesn't want to be talking to an experiment.

"Are you a bastard?" I retort, not caring if I might get in trouble for it; the tone in his voice is annoying me.

Opening my eyes slowly, I look up into a face of a man as my eyes slowly adjust to the light. Bright blue eyes are staring into my brown ones with a look of annoyance in them.

"Just because that woman pissed you off doesn't mean you have to take it out on me," I inform the man as I blink a few times before trying to put myself up into a sitting position. It takes a few tries, but I'm finally able to sit up properly.

"How dare you," the man says darkly as the shock wears off and he glares at me.

"I dare," I reply while shrugging with my right shoulder, not really caring at the moment.

"Cheeky little bastard," he growls at me.

"I thought you were the bastard," I reply with a raised eyebrow.

Thinking about what's going on with me I realize that those memories have set of my sarcastic side like nothing else. Realizing that my family has always gotten out of things no matter what made me decide to stop just going along with the scientists and fight back a bit.

The man just growls and turns to go to a phone on the wall to call in my food. While he does that, I look around the room.

I'm sitting on a metal lab table with a light blanket covering my legs. There are carts of lab equipment, shelves of supplies, and a bunch of monitors filling up the room. It's like they just needed a place to put me so that I'm out of the way and this was the first place they found.

_Stupid scientists_, I sign to myself. _Idiots through-and-through._

When the door opens again and a few Erasers, all morphed, enter with a couple of scientists, I flinch away and jump off the bed, dragging the blanket with me as I move to a wall.

Unfortunately, while having all of the good memories brought back up to the surface, it also means the bad ones are closer than ever. Seeing Erasers again reminds me of that time with my father in the room, and I begin feeling as if I'm back there again; memories on punches, kicks, claws, and pain come back as if they're all real before I can stop them. It takes me minutes just to calm it all down enough so that I don't flinch anymore, and I'm not even able to look up at the group by the door.

"What's up with her?" one of the new scientists ask.

"Her file says she's had bad experiences with Erasers before," a woman answers from that new group. "If she's just been through the Tank then her memories are still fresh in her mind, so she might be having flashbacks."

"Get the Erasers out then!" the man exclaims. "You, go out with them."

"The Boss told me to stay here with her," the first man complains.

"I'm your boss as well, and I say to _get out_!" the man yells.

"Yes, sir," the man I don't like replies in a sarcastic voice. His footsteps go out the open door with the Erasers following. Another pair of footsteps walks over to me slowly.

"Hey there," the woman from before says softly as she bends down next to me and I feel a hand on my shoulder. "The Erasers are gone." I look up to see a blond woman looking down at me with blue eyes with some hazel in them. Looking around I see that the Erasers are indeed gone.

"Thank you," I say hoarsely. Pulling the blanket around me more tightly, I pull away from the woman.

"You're welcome," the man still in the room says from behind the woman. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that bastard right after coming out of the Tank. The two of us try to keep him away from the experiments, but my female counterpart tries to put him in the rooms to freak the experiments out."

"Bastards," I mutter under my breath while one of my hands signs the word.

"What's that you're doing with your hand?" the woman asks kindly as she can see my hands.

I freeze as I realize I'm signing again. Except for in the Tank, this is the first time I've used the signs outside of my paradise since Flint. It just doesn't feel right to use them without the others there.

"Nothing," I tell her quietly. I guess she picks up on the fact that I'm not going to give her a straight answer because she leaves it alone.

"Here," she says instead, gesturing behind her where the man, who has light brown hair, is holding a tray of food and I can see a bunch of drinks on another tray on the table I had woken up on.

"Thanks," I reply as I reach up and accept the tray, smiling ever so slightly as I see a bunch of everything on it.

Deciding to eat instead of talk, I grab some of the chicken and dig in before taking a bite of a roll with butter on it. A bit of rice joins the meal before I grab an apple and eat it quickly, trying to fight back the memories of the arena as an animal. Just efficiently eating whatever I've been given, I barely pay attention anymore as my memories flow through me again and I wince at certain parts of them.

I barely even realize it when the scientists add drinks to my tray and take away empty dishes. My mind is so far gone into my memories again that I'm working on autopilot. Nothing I do brings any sort of reaction, not even through my senses. I'm just sort of numb right now.

When I realize I've eaten and drunk everything I've been given, I finally look up at the scientists, pushing the memories from my mind so that I can think a bit more clearly. The two of them are up on the table and looking down at me with indifferent faces, though I can just barely see a bit of sadness in their eyes, one set blue and the other green.

Sighing lightly, I stand up slowly, the blanket still around my shoulders, and pick up the tray of empty dishes. Bringing it over to the scientists, I leave the tray on the table between them and then move away, not really in the mood to be around them right now with all of my memories flashing through my mind.

I know that this mood won't stay with me very long, but for now, I just need to be away from them. Too many memories have been flying through my mind, both good and bad, and I can't take being around scientists right now. Once I have time to think, it'll be easier, but not until then.

"Erika," the woman whispers, making my head shoot up in surprise. _She actually knows my name?_ "We're going to have to put you on a plane soon. When you get to Ireland, they'll leave you alone and just let you heal. Can you come with us long enough to get onto a plane?" I nod slowly, still worried about seeing Erasers. "We'll keep the Erasers away from you," she adds as if knowing what's on my mind.

Nodding my thanks, I slowly put the blanket down on the table and follow them out of the room and to a truck outside. The entire time I'm following them, I keep my senses on high alert, unable to throw off that feeling that something might attack me at any time.

I fight against that instinct with all I have, but all those memories from my past, the fights and the pain, bring back parts of me that haven't been a part of me in a while. As an animal in the arena, fighting was an instinct, but I wasn't like this back then and I had a reason to be like that; I don't have a single reason to act like this because there's no threat.

Sighing internally, I get into the cage in the back of the pickup truck. Being in the cage does nothing to me as I've been in one basically my entire life; it's just normal to me.

I just watch the scenery fly by as the scientists from before drive me through Honshu, a cover covering the back of the truck so that I can only see out through holes that are made for air and to be able to look out.

When we get to the airplane, I just let them put me into the cargo area of the plane, falling asleep while they fly me away to the UK and Ireland.

Waking up in a new room outside of my cage, I realize that the scientists must have knocked me out properly after I was asleep so that I'd be easier to transport. Blinking sleep out of my eyes, I look around the room and I'm surprised by what I see.

The walls are a light crème color, I'm sitting on a nice bed, and there's a small bedside table with a plate of food and a few bottles of water. What amazes me the most, though, is that there's a window.

Walking across the room, which is large without seeming to be gigantic, I put my arms on the windowsill and rest my chin on them, looking outside. Grass as far as my eyes can see starts once I get past the gravel in the back; nothing is back there otherwise.

Sighing audibly, I just stare out the window, thinking about how the view reminds me of my paradise. Looking out at it, I can actually picture the others out there; Victoria chasing Erik around for something he had just said or done while; Alexa and Brandon watching everyone as they flew in circles; Jen and Kyle fighting while Shawn tries to break it up. I can see all of that happening right out on this one area.

Groaning lightly, I go to the bed and throw myself onto it, memories filling my head like in the Tank. Being in that damn thing had brought everything in my life back to surface, and I can't seem to push it all back down again.

Sighing deeply, I reach for a bottle of water and drain it before picking up the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, eating it quickly before grabbing another one and downing it too. After another bottle of water, I stop eating and lay down again, my hands covering my eyes as I try to figure out what's going on with me.

It's as if something's invaded my mind and taken it away from me, controlling my thoughts. I can control my actions and thoughts that come out of nowhere, but my memories are out of control.

Realizing that thinking about it won't help anything, I go and look out the window again and just let the memories flow through me, the ones of my paradise the most common.

The next few weeks pass in the same way. I wake up, eat whatever meal a scientist brings in, look out the window all day, and then fall asleep. Memories are flowing through my mind as I try to figure out the cause behind all of this.

The only noticeable thing is that I'm moved into a smaller room with a smaller window, though it doesn't make much sense as they're just rooms. My only problem is getting the memories out of my mind.

Another couple of weeks, at least, pass by before I begin to realize why my mind won't leave me alone. I've never truly accepted my past.

Thinking about it now, in the Tank, I had only accepted that my life was bad and I've lived through it. Otherwise, the first moment I could, I'd push the terrible memories to the back of my mind and try to pretend they never happened.

Sighing deeply as I stare out the window, I let memories like the Erasers, my parents and uncle, the Death Room, the Torture Room, my testing, and every other bad memory – only slightly bad or terrible – and let them run through my mind one-by-one.

It takes a few weeks, but I slowly accept what's happened in my past. The hardest to accept is anything with my family, excluding Alexa, in it, especially that time with the Erasers. Because those are the hardest, I push them away and let the easier ones to come forward first.

Sometime during all of this, I'm moved twice more, both times into smaller rooms with smaller windows.

The day I'm moved into a room without a window, I'm working on trying to accept the sudden change in my parents and uncle; they had been so kind and then suddenly were more evil than most of the other scientists.

Lying down on my bed in the small room, I close my eyes so that I don't have to stare at a white ceiling while I let the memories flow through my mind yet again.

Slowly, I go through the memories of my family and see small things that I hadn't noticed back then that show the true side of them; shared looks, darkness in eyes, some forced smiles, etc. It all adds up to the truth: They had been acting the entire time.

The next memories to flow through my mind are of the Torture Room and conversations with my so-called father. I remember him calling me worthless, how he had been hoping I'd be better than that, that he was ashamed to call him his daughter, and I belonged in the that room. Tears had fallen from my eyes back then and in the Tank, but they don't fall now. All I can feel is detachment as I realize my father had been the sort of man who couldn't love me or my sister; he had just hidden it well.

Realizing all of this, it's easy to just give in and see that what had happened with my family, besides Alexa, had been out of my control. Nothing to do with those three had been my fault, so I had no reason to push it away or feel guilty. Not even those two days with the Erasers had been my fault; my father had been angry and needed a way to show it.

Once I've finally given in to that, I fall asleep, dreaming of my paradise, though I'm still alone. I spend the entire time in my paradise just flying around in the sky, letting myself relax and not think about anything but flying.

When I wake up the next morning, my mind is finally clear, relaxed. This is probably the first time I've felt like this in months. It's amazing to finally have my mind as my own again without the memories.

Smiling as I sit up and lean against the wall while I sit on my bed, I wait for a scientist to come in and tell me if I'm moving, finally being tested on, or just to get food.

When the scientist finally comes in with a tray of food, she takes one look at me, places the tray down on the bedside table, and quickly leaves the room while calling out for another scientist.

Moments after I finished eating, the woman comes back in with another scientist, another woman, and they both look me over before ordering me to follow them.

Rolling my eyes at their reactions to me, I follow one of them women and the other follows me until we reach a room with a metal table and a bunch of matching. I'm gestured to go lay down on the table, and I do it with an internal groan.

The stupid machines are hooked up to me and the two women work together to get a pile of readings on me. I just stare around the room and listen to the beeping noises from the machines as they do this; there's not really anything else to do in here. Fighting boredom while they do this sort of thing is always a pain in the butt.

When the testing is finally done, I'm just left to lay here as the two scientists go and find other people to talk to. It sounds like I might just be leaving this place…

While I might like the peace and quiet here, getting out of here will be a lot better. Now that my mind isn't full of flashing memories, the quiet is quite boring. I need something to do, something to keep myself busy. This place just doesn't have anything for me now that I've finally gotten over my time in that Tank.

A group of about seven scientists come back into the room and have a cage on a cart with them. After untying me, they gesture for me to get up and move into the cage. Sighing ever so slightly, and too quietly for them to hear, I stretch my muscles before brushing off the dust from my clothes before willingly going into the cage, knowing there's no point in fighting it; they'll just bring in Erasers if I do.

Once I'm in the cage, which surprises the scientists as they must have been expecting me to fight it, they take me out front and to a van. Fighting the winces from the bumping they're giving me as they push the cart over the gravel road, I try to look indifferent about this entire thing. Truthfully, I'm just curious about where they're sending me this time. Maybe I'll be sent to South America or Australia this time; the only two continents I haven't been to before.

A needle is thrust into my arm suddenly, and before I know it, the world goes black.

* * *

**I know, this was a bit short, and I'm sorry to say that the next few chapters are shorter as well, but there's a reason... These few chapters are more of a connector between the Tank and Old and New Attack from Erika's POV. Then, the last 6 chapters are amazingly long and full of thoughts and dialogue.**

**It's only been two days since I posted Chapter 34, and I've only gotten two reviews, but I'm posting this now to tell you all that this story is officially completed. Over the next week or two, I'll be posting every 2 or 3 days so that you'll get the rest of it quickly. This is my way of saying sorry about the longer waits, for taking so long to finish this story, and I just want it all posted.**

**Please, let me know what you thought about this chapter. Sorry about it being so short, but it'll be like this for a few days... I forgot to mention that I was forcing a few parts of this out as it just didn't want to be written. Hate it when that happens. :/**

**Posted: 7/27/10 (My Mom's Birthday and the Day I Completed the Story.)  
**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

Waking up with a small groan, I look around to see I'm in a cage still, but this time I'm in a room that reminds me of the one back in Flint; it's just a plain, empty room.

The door slams open suddenly, hitting the wall next to it with a lot of force, and I jump up, completely awake now. I can see the smug smirk on the scientist's face at my reaction, but he doesn't know that the only reason I reacted like that is because my senses are always dull just moments after I wake up.

"Well, well, well," the scientist drawls. "What do we have here? I do believe you're an avian-hybrid. Am I correct?" Without waiting for any response he continues. "We haven't had one of you here in dear Wutunugurra before. It shall be interesting getting to test you."

I just stare at the scientist who has an evil glint in his eye and a very smug, yet also possessive and pleased, look on his face. This man reminds me of my father. They're both people who love to torture experiments, and they somehow find a sort of glee in doing it.

"I'm Dr. Eric Frezer, and I'll be in charge of you while you're here, girl," the man, Dr. Frezer, snarls. "Be prepared for a few weeks of some hardcore testing. I don't care where you've been, where you've just come from, what you've survived, or how hard you've been pushed before. None of that matters to me because I own you now, and I get to test you how I please, so get ready for your nightmare."

Dr. Frezer is smiling again, but I'm just refraining from rolling my eyes. Tough talk, even if he does actually follow through on the testing, just doesn't scare me. My life has been full of tough talk, sarcasm, and just idiotic words. This guy has nothing on it.

Suddenly, the door opens and a group enters. I sniff the air and my eyes widen slightly as I realize at least one of these guys has wings, possibly all of them, with the scent that strong. One of the boys is in front while another, much younger, one stands to his right. The one in front is blond with blue eyes that have no emotion whatsoever; in fact, none of the boys has emotion in their eyes.

The one to the leader's right, which is the position for second-in-command, has blue eyes as well, but he has brown hair. One of the others has black hair and dark brown eyes that reminds me of Kyle, but at least Kyle has emotion in his eyes and features. Another has very dark brown hair, darker than the second-in-command's, but hazel eyes. The last also has blond hair, but his eyes are a pale green.

"I'll leave you boys to introduce yourselves," Dr. Frezer states as he smiles smugly at the group of five in front of him. "Bring her to Lab 3 when you're ready."

"Yes, sir!" all five boys shout with a salute at the same time.

Dr. Frezer leaves the room, and the five experiments relax a bit. Heck, I can actually see something in their eyes that say they aren't all bad; they've just been created to follow orders without question.

"Omega II," the leader states as his gaze falls on me. "A better version of Omega, and leader of Generation Replica, or Generation R."

"Ari II," the second-in-command says softly. "My original died, so they created a new me. I'm second-in-command."

"I'm not stupid, you know," I say sharply but quietly. "It's obvious that Omega is leader and you're next in command by how you're standing. That's the typical Alpha-Beta position."

"You know this how?" the black-haired boy asks.

"Check my file sometime and you'll figure it out," I reply with a raised eyebrow. "And your name is…?"

"Hades," the boy replies shortly, obviously annoyed that I'm not answering his question directly.

"Your shape-shifting, right?" the other blond questions as he looks at me. "You know because you become animals from packs like wolves, so you've learned through instinct."

"Looks like someone did their homework, eh Hades?" I say to let my sarcasm out while I raise an eyebrow between the two boys.

"Slayer's the name," the blond informs me with a twitch of the lips.

_So… it looks like these are experiments only made to follow orders and seem like they're soulless beings in front of the scientists, not other experiments. Interesting…_

"And killing is your game?" I retort with a smirk.

"Nah, electronics are my game," Slayer replies with a smile and a glint in his eyes that says he's enjoying this.

"And you are?" I ask, turning to the final brunette.

"Wolf," he replies shortly, obviously not in the mood to talk. I just raise an eyebrow and don't comment, not bothering to mention that I enjoy being a wolf.

"So, how many of you have wings?" I finally decide to ask, truly curious about it.

"All of us," Omega replies with a slightly surprised look in his eyes.

"Good senses," I explain. "The smell of bird is obvious when you know what to look for."

"Yes, well, you know us now, so let's get going," Wolf says shortly.

"What's up with you?" Hades asks as he whirls to face Wolf. "She's the first experiment we've gotten to talk to in forever who's actually willing to talk, and you're trying to get rid of her!"

"She smells of wolf!" Wolf snarls. "She's an alpha wolf, and the smell is all over her!"

"I'm a shape-shifter, so of course I smell like wolf," I say to speak for myself. "As for being an alpha; yes, I am. Deal with it."

"I am Alpha here!" he snarls, still obviously upset. Sniffing quickly, I realize he has wolf DNA in him while the others don't, which is why he's the only one reacting like this.

"You're an Alpha Male; I'm an Alpha _Female_," I retort angrily now that I realize he's making a big deal out of nothing. "You don't have to worry about me taking over; I've got my own pack to take care of. Just keep an eye on your pack, which is obviously led by Omega while you're the Alpha wolf, and you won't have to deal with me."

"She's making no sense," Hades whispers to Slayer.

"Actually, she is," Omega cuts in with a normal tone. "Wolf is the only one of us with lupine DNA, so he looks at himself as Alpha of our group, even though I lead it. Mostly it means he wants to protect us and keep an eye on all of us.

"On the other hand, Erika here is probably _the_ Alpha of her group, if what I've read is correct. Wolf is seeing her as a problem because he can't get past the fact that she's an Alpha; he can't even seem to realize she's a female because he's never had to deal with another Alpha, male or female.

"Erika's basically telling him to calm down and keep an eye on his pack; she'll leave us alone, won't attack us, and will just worry about her own pack," Omega finishes as he looks me in the eyes for confirmation, which I give.

"I thought she doesn't have any lupine DNA in her," Slayer says in confusion.

"I don't, but because I can shape-shift, it's just as good as having the DNA in me," I inform him. "The fact that the wolf is my main form when I'm an animal helps the fact that I'm more wolf than any other animal I can change into."

"Now that that's out of the way," Ari begins with a look at Wolf to make sure he's calmed down, which he is, "Wolf was right to suggest that we take her to the Lab, though he was saying it for the wrong reasons. The scientists will be expecting us now."

Hades moves forward and pulls out a lock pick, quickly picking the lock on my cage to let me out.

"No key," he informs me with a shrug as I give him an odd look.

Once I'm out, the five go back into soulless experiments mode. The five of them surround me, with Hades the closest to me for some odd reason.

Hades grabs my arm and pulls me close. I'm about to pull away when he puts his face near my ear as we walk.

"After this, you can't think of us as friends," he breathes in the same light whisper that Erik and I used to use. "We're the enemy, so we're going to treat you like it. Remember us like this sometime, but think of us as the enemy until you're gone from this Branch."

With his message said, Hades lets go of my arm and straightens up, pushing on my back a bit to force me to keep up with the group while they lead me to the Lab. As he directs me, I let my mind figure out what's going on.

_Why treat me like a friend and then tell me that they're the enemy and I have to think of them as such? Is it a cruel joke or is it something more? What's the truth in this? Are they the enemy or are they friends?_

Sighing internally, I try my best to look at this from their point of view. They're supposed to be soulless, order-following experiments. Because of that, it can't be easy to make friends or talk to other experiments besides their group. Talking with me and being themselves somewhat must have been a break for them. The thing is, they can't make it seem like they're anything but what the scientists expect, which means I can't pretend they're anything different.

Once I figure that out, it all falls into place. _They want to be my friends, but they can't be. If I treat them as anything but the enemy, they'll get in trouble, not me. Once I'm gone from here, I can think of them as friends if I really want to, though I'm not sure that I can. I think, once I leave, I'll remember them as innocent experiments forced to be the terrible enemies._

I give Hades a slight nod to show that I understand it all now, and he slightly inclines his head to show that he got the message. Other than that, there's no indication from any of them that they're anything but soulless minions leading an experiment to testing.

After that's all done, I just follow along until we get to where we're going and the door opens. Inside are four people, only one of whom I recognize as Dr. Frezer; the other three are unknown to me. The moment the door closes behind us, Generation R salutes one of the women; she has dirty-blond hair and brown eyes. She nods at the group and they all relax ever so slightly, as if they're soldiers being told to be "at ease."

"You five may leave unless you wish to watch," the woman states.

"We'll stay," Omega replies without even looking at the others, though it looks like they agree with him.

"Very well," the man who isn't Dr. Frezer says.

"Now, Erika," the last woman says, "you're probably wondering who the three of us are." She pauses, as if waiting for some sort of response, but I just stare at her, waiting. "I'm Anne Walker, this man is Jeb Batchelder, and this fine woman is the Director of Itexicon."

My eyes widen as I realize that I've got the person who is the cause of my entire suffering, my entire past, right in front of me. I can't even seem to make a thought come to mind as I realize it; it's too much to take in.

"You're going to be tested in the maze," Jeb states. "I believe your file says you've done this before."

I look out the window behind the group and I fly back thirteen years into the past when Alexa and I had been taken into a room just like this one and pushed into a maze with Erasers and burning hot coils under our feet as we run to try and find the finish.

"I've done them before," I agree as my mind comes back to the present and I watch Erasers being led into the maze for me to fight.

"Very well," Dr. Frezer states with an evil look in his eyes. "You may use any power you have except for flying above the maze; otherwise, everything goes."

I nod in understanding, and Jeb leads me to the entrance, clapping my shoulder lightly before going back to the observation room.

"Begin," the Director states in a very bored voice, as if she doesn't want to be here. _I'll give her something to watch._

Running into the maze, I feel the heat under my feet already, telling me that they've put it to full heat right off the back. Hopefully it means I won't be here for more than a couple of rounds.

Still running, I teleport further down the path and don't stop. It's taken me a while to perfect that, but it's like teleporting while in the air and fly; you just can't stop moving.

I reach the first corner and slip around it, teleporting close to the end of the path so that I can quickly turn. When I turn, I'm at my first fork in the maze, and I use my enhanced hearing to tell me that a couple of Erasers are to my left, which means I need to go that way. The scientists are obvious in how they place Erasers because they want me to fight them to get out, so that's the way I need to go.

The moment I see the Erasers, I shift into my own wolf form. Charging towards them, I claw the one on the right before I jump onto the other and bite it in the arm, pulling out a chunk of flesh, which I throw away from me the first moment I can.

Kicking off of the Eraser so that I can jump above them both, I end up on the other side and I shift back to human. Giving the Erasers, both of whom are trying to stop the bleeding from my deep gashes I've given them, a smug smile, I turn and continue running on my way.

The next fork in the maze sends me to the right this time, so I quickly shift into a rat and slip beneath the Erasers waiting for me in the middle of the path, three of them, and then jump up as a bear behind them. I claw all three of them, one in the throat while the other two are in the chest, and then turn into a wolf and just run out of there, deciding that it's easier to not have to shape-shift than it is to switch back and forth so that I can teleport.

I face three more sets of Erasers, each in groups of four, before I reach the end, never getting caught in a dead-end.

The moment I charge out of the exit, I sink down to the ground and put my nose into my paws, breathing heavily. Once I have my breath back, I begin licking the blood off of my claws, paws, and muzzle.

Looking up at the sound of footsteps, I see all four scientists walking towards me, the five from Generation R following further behind. All of them have some form of shock showing; the experiments show it in their eyes, the Director in how she's walking, Dr. Frezer in how he's scowling but also looking at me differently, and Jeb and Anne by their widened eyes and slightly open mouths.

I cock my head to the right and stick my tongue out of my mouth, panting lightly. I actually see smirks cross the faces of the five in the back for just a moment before they disappear.

"They said you were good, but I didn't think you were _that_ good," Jeb says with awe in his voice as he shakes his head slowly.

"Well, well, well, it seems the rumors are true about you," the Director states with a smirk on her face that makes me want to hurt her. "I see your father was right; moving you away from all of those others that were holding you back has made you shine."

I growl deeply in my throat and lunge at the Director, consequences be damned. I just want to claw out her throat and kill her for what she just said.

Much to my surprise, another wolf suddenly launches itself in front of me and growls lightly in warning. I halt in place as I realize the light growl means that he – the wolf has to be a he as he's an Alpha Male – doesn't want to hurt me, but he will if I push him.

Growling in frustration, I back off, my mind slowly fighting my instincts until I realize the wolf in front of me is Wolf. I guess he's a different form of Eraser; much better made, if you ask me.

The Director is looking at me with a mix of hate and fear, as if she doesn't know which to feel more. I know that the shock will wear off soon enough, and then I'll have to deal with her hatred. Truthfully, I don't think I'll ever care; she's the one who took me away from Flint, she took my family away from me, she's friends with my father!

I'm not sure which of us hates the other more deeply, looking into her eyes. If I have to make a guess, I'd say me because my anger and hatred goes deeper than anything she can feel for me. Besides, I'm one of the more precious experiments they've managed to create.

Slowly, I move further away from her, realizing that I'm going to attack her again if I'm not careful. A deep growl is emanating from my without my choice, and I can't stop it.

Looking into Wolf's hazel eyes, I can see him willing me to calm down, but he doesn't understand how deeply that one sentence has cut into me. She's just proved that all of the pain and sorrow and loneliness in my life is her doing.

_I understand_, Wolf says as he barks. I sometimes forget that because I'm a wolf, I can understand other wolves.

_You can't_, I reply, a growl coming out with my bark.

_I can. She's said something that hurts you deeply. I get it. You can't let her words control you. Let go of the wolf instincts and take control again. What you did in the maze shows you have amazing control of your animal sides, but you're losing that control in your anger. Please, calm down._

Hearing all of that from Wolf, I whimper slightly, my wolf side not wanting to give in to my human side now that I've let some of it free. This hasn't happened before, so I don't know how to fix it.

_I can't_, I whimper to Wolf. For some reason, I just see him as someone who understands what I'm going through. Plus, he needs to calm me down or I'll hurt his boss, so he'll try anything.

_Imagine the wolf side as a river with a dam of rocks, and one of the larger rocks has become dislodged. You have to move the rock back into place so that the river is only a small trickle; that's the only way you'll gain control. _Wolf's hazel eyes are telling me that I can do this, so I try.

The imagine comes easily to my mind as I've always had a pretty good imagination – or, as my friends say, a freaking amazing imagination – and I can actually see the rock in the middle of the river of water flowing through.

I slowly push the rock back into place. It takes a lot of work and force, but it's moving piece by piece, bit by bit. Finally, after a lot of pushing, it's back in place and I feel in control of myself again.

Panting heavily, I look up at the group in front of me and see that Wolf is back with the others, human and with a smile on his face when he sees me looking.

"Take her away! Get her away from me!" the Director screams as she glares at me with extreme hatred.

"Yes, ma'am," Generation R replies before Wolf turns into a wolf again and leads me out of the room, the others following.

_You're not my Alpha,_ I inform Wolf, and he laughs slightly

_Oh, I know, but if you don't listen, bad things will happen_, he reminds me, as if I've forgotten.

_I'm not that stupid. That's why I'm following you. Just making sure that you know that._

Both of us laugh quietly before we fall silent and they lead me back to my room. Once we get there, Wolf turns human again and gestures for me to do the same. I whine and shake my head, preferring to be a wolf right now to an avian-hybrid.

"Fine by us," Omega states as he locks me into my cage, this time using the key.

All five of them give me a final look before they turn and leave.

Sighing, I put my muzzle on my front paws and fall into a restless sleep, liking Australia less and less every moment.

* * *

***Shrugs* Now those of you who have read Old and New Attack know how Erika knows the Director, Jeb, Anne, Dr. Fezer, and Generation R. Otherwise, this was mainly to show you her Wolf side. Mainly, these few chapters before the really long ones are the bridge between the important stuff. Fillers without being fillers; the stuff is part of the story, but it isn't all that important. Nothing else to say but to ask for your opinions in reviews.**

**Posted: 7/29/10  
**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

I try not to growl as I begin to fly through the third wire maze, this one with even more wires than before. Each time they add more, they get closer together. I guess I'm lucky that they said I can shape-shift if I want to; I'd be dead meat pretty soon if I couldn't.

My hawk form is the one I'm using right now because I can fly _and_ it's smaller than my avian-hybrid form. Unfortunately, the wires are getting tight even for my hawk form. Soon I'll be going through the maze on the ground as a rabbit.

I wince as the tip of my right wing clips one of the wires right on the sharp point. The smell of blood lightly fills my nose, as if it's just barely there. That means the clipping of my wing hit it harder than I had thought.

Diving a bit, I go through a wider gap, and then pause for a few moments in a slightly open area, trying to assess my wing. It's hurting and I can feel the blood, but the pain is bearable and not there very much. I think the adrenaline of running – or flying, whichever – is stopping the pain for now. Unfortunately, that means that when I'm done, my right hand will be killing me.

Deciding that it's safe to move on, I continue flying through the course, being more careful but still taking chances. When I get to the end, I don't change into a human, but into a rabbit, knowing that the course through the open doorway will be even harder than this last one.

Looking at the next maze, I gulp – an interesting thing to realize a rabbit can do – and begin to hop and crawl around the lower levels of the course in front of me. It takes a while and I clip an ear or a toe once in a while, but I get all the way to the end and quickly change into a rat, knowing that this is the last course but also the hardest.

_Bloody hell!_ I think as I stare at the course in front of me, barely realizing that I'm using a British term because I had picked up on them through my friends during the dreams, though I didn't use them often.

The course in front of me is so tight that not even my snake form can get through it. It's like the only animal that could get through there is a fly!

_I'm an idiot…_

Thinking about a fly, I'm amazed as I suddenly turn into one. It's probably the oddest sensation, being a fly. Everything is huge – even larger than when I'm a snake – and I'm got tiny wings that work differently than my normal ones.

Testing my wings slowly and then faster, I fly and begin going through the course, slipping through even the tiniest gaps because they obviously hadn't expected me to do this.

When I get to the end, I turn back into my normal form and walk out. The surprised faces that greet me make me smile before I just turn away from them and wait to be escorted back to my cage.

**…**

"Another branch in Australia just got destroyed," a scientist outside in the hallway says while I'm lying in my cage, bored out of my mind.

"The older group of rebels again?" another asks.

"Who else would it be in Australia?" the first questions.

"It could be the younger group of rebels," a third informs the others.

"Nah, they're busy pissing off the Americans," a forth snickers, making the others laugh.

"As long as they don't come here…" the second says darkly after the laughter disappears.

"They'll regret it if they do," the third states matter-of-factly before their footsteps disappear from my hearing and I can't hear any more.

**…**

I hold onto the bars in the room with a huge fan behind me. Grasping it as tightly as I can, I thread my arms through them and grab the opposite bar with my hands. When I'm ready, I nod tightly, barely moving a muscle as I'm tensed for the pain.

The fan activates and my arms feel like they're being pulled out of my sockets. I pull my wings in even tighter again my body while I grit my teeth and shut my eyes tightly. Unfortunately, the noise from the fan is killing my ears, and I can't do anything about it, so I just concentrate on the pain in my arms, using the burning to make everything else die out around me.

My muscles are screaming as they burn, the pain becoming too much as I switch to paying attention to how I'm biting my tongue. The less pain I concentrate on, the easier it is to hold on, but I need to concentrate on some sort of pain or everything around me will become too much.

Hugging the bars tighter to my chest, I hang on for my life. My hair is being pulled backwards by the fan, but I just ignore the pain of feeling like my hair is being pulled out by its roots.

Nothing but holding on and not giving up for as long as I can matters to me right now. The pain is a distraction so that I don't feel my body weaken more than I have to. I know I'm weakening, but if I concentrate on something else, I'll be able to survive just that much longer before having to give in and admit defeat.

Finally, not even the strongest pain can make me ignore my hands slipping off the bars and my body beginning to slide towards the fan. I grab tighter, but it only helps for a few moments before the exhaustion kicks in and I have to throw my wings out so that they stop the fan before it destroys me. My arms lose their grip just as the fan is turned off.

Black dots dominate my vision and I lose consciousness just before the scientists enter the fan room.

**…**

My eyes closed and my hearing as sharp as I can make it, I listen. To my right, a slight click gives it away and I move backwards just as the gun is shot in the direction of my leg.

I hear a bow being drawn back with a light twang just before I step to the right and dodge the arrow aimed at me. A noise above me has me in a roll forwards and to the left just moments before a pile of rocks falls on top of the spot I had just been occupying.

More rocks, arrows, and bullets are aimed at me from all over, and I just use my excellent hearing and reflexes to dodge out of the way before I get hit. Only once have I even felt something almost hit me; I still haven't been hit.

A quick dodge to the left has be right in the way of a stray rock I hadn't heard and I feel a sharp pain in my leg before I'm forced to move again, this time dodging the second attack just moments later.

Liquid sliding down my leg informs me that the rock had cut through the skin, but I don't let it distract me as I've still got things being launched at me.

Another pile of rocks just barely misses me as I dodge the rocks, a bullet, and three different arrows. It's getting harder to dodge, but I don't want to shape-shift until I have to, so I'm not.

It takes three piles of rocks surrounding me, ten arrows passing just over me, and five bullets passing to the left and right of me to get me to turn into a housecat. I move quicker now that I'm a cat, and I can hear even better as an animal than just taking part of the senses to my normal form.

Dodging more and more, I get hit by a piece of broken rock on a paw, but I just ignore the tiny trickle of liquid and continue to move.

Finally, five piles of rocks, twenty arrows, and ten bullets are all launched at me at once before it all goes silent. A siren goes off and I turn human again, the bleeding from my few wounds done as it's been too long since I got them for the bleeding to have no stopped, even if I have been moving since I got hurt.

Sighing deeply, I sit down against a pile of rocks and get my breath back, accepting the sealed bottle of water when it's passed to me.

_Another test down._

**…**

"Those stupid Flocks are causing too much trouble," a scientist tells the other one as they both lead me back to my room, seeming to forget I'm here.

"Yeah, they are, the stupid rebels," the other agrees while I put together the pieces and realize that the Flocks are the same rebels mentioned a couple of weeks ago in the hallway outside of my room.

"If we're not careful, they might just succeed in destroying all that we've worked to hard to create," a third scientist says as she joins the group just to join the conversation. It's as if none of them even see me here, which fits me perfectly.

"How many have they destroyed in the past few months?" the second asks.

"Around forty or fifty, if I remember the count correctly," the third replies.

"They got that many of our Itex Branches?" the first exclaims in amazement.

"Yeah," the third replies. "I was amazed, too, when I heard the count. If we don't get our Branches protected, they'll have all of them gone within a year more."

"And we can't just rebuild because all of the stuff lost costs millions or billions," the second sighs. "They're truly rebels."

"We've got to be careful that no more join them, or it'll be even worse," the first states matter-of-factly.

"And _you_," the second says out of the blue as he spins to face me, all of us stopping in the middle of the hall. "Don't you _dare_ breathe a word of this to _anyone_, got it?"

I nod silently, knowing that there's no point in telling anyone; it's just nice to know these sorts of things.

**…**

I fight back a growl as I'm pushed into a room full of Erasers. My past has been full of too many fights with Erasers in groups like these. This is my turn to take out my anger on the Erasers. My wolf form is itching to fight one of these Erasers outside of a maze, and this is the perfect chance.

The moment the door is closed and locked, I'm falling down to the ground as a wolf, my teeth bared and a growl deep in my throat.

A bell rings throughout the room, and I lunge, not caring about anything right now except getting revenge on the monsters that have haunted my nightmares and past my entire life.

I claw, bite, and rip, my force field taking the brunt of attacks on me while my body only takes tiny cuts so small they could be paper cuts. My anger is coursing through me as I destroy Erasers left and right, not a care in the world right now. It's as if the wolf inside of me is feeding off of my past and using it to fuel a chance for my instincts to take over again.

Before I know it, all the Erasers are down and I'm imagining the river again as I regain control of myself. Once I have control, I go back to my normal form and look around me at the carnage.

_This is what happens when you put my wolf form, my past, and Erasers in the same room, _I think and sign at the same moment.

A scientist opens the door, looking slightly green, and gestures for me to follow. I'm led back to my cage, and I go in without a fight.

Once I'm alone, I switch to my wolf form and clean myself off before thinking about what had just happened.

_I've finally gotten revenge against the Erasers, the worst part of my past. My memories can rest in peace; I've gotten revenge and I don't need it anymore. Erasers paid, even if they weren't the exact same ones._

Sighing slightly, I close my eyes and fall asleep, exhaustion taking over me from the very quick but fierce fight.

**…**

I fly through the obstacle course along the ceiling, being reminded of my course in my paradise. They aren't the same, but the ideas are similar. Plus, many of the obstacles are identical to mine, just in different orders.

I dodge the moving objects as if it's just air blowing past me. Metal poles do nothing to me as I zigzag in and out of them, not even the ends of my fifteen-foot-across wings tap a pole as I move. The hoops are so boring that I wish they would make me move towards the ground more just so that it's more interesting.

I keep doing the course over and over just so that I have something to do and because being able to fly like this is relaxing me. It's been a while since I've been allowed to just _fly_. Going around this obstacle course is better than not flying at all, so I'm going with it.

By the time anyone comes to collect me, I'm the most relaxed I've ever been in this Branch of Itex out here in Australia.

**…**

Erasers come into my room again and open the door of my cage. The difference between this time and most times is that they actually pick me up and almost literally drag me from the room. I kick and punch, but they just grab my arms and legs, and keep walking on.

I have no idea where they're taking me, but it's to something new, and that's all I can tell.

* * *

**This will be the only time in my entire story that I write a chapter like this one. If I had to choose a chapter to be the true bridge between parts of my story, this is the one. Those scenes were to show that she is being tested on as well as conversations about the Flocks. It was shorter than my chapters have been lately, and I know it, but the last 5/6 chapters are much longer. The last one isn't an epilogue, but it's the size of one, I guess. Either way, chapter 40 is huge, and this is the chapter I wrote. After this, the merge into Old and New Attack is complete; we're at that part of the story.**

**Please, review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.**

**Posted: 7/31/10  
**


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

I growl as Erasers pull me into a new room. They're surrounding me so much that I can't see anything; I only know that it's a new room because they had led me in a new direction.

The noise of a cage being opened reaches my ears just before a couple of Erasers push me into it. I grunt slightly as a bit of air leaves my lungs from the force of both the push and the landing. Those idiot Erasers are actually _smiling_ at my pain! They're going to pay for this; that much I know for sure. I don't care if the stupid Director is at this branch; I'm going to _kill _those Erasers. Sadly, I can't make that come true no matter how much I want it.

I glare after the Erasers until they're finally out of the room. Once they're gone, I look around. Surprisingly, the room is full of experiments. There are more experiments in this room than the five that had been Alexa and the others. In fact, the only room I've ever seen more full than this one is the Death Room, which was always bursting with at least a good fifty experiments.

All of the experiments are looking at me. Some of them are older than me, but the majority is younger than me. It's actually about half-and-half, but the younger outnumber the older.

"I'm Erika. Who are you?" A girl with dirty-blond hair and deep brown eyes answers me.

"I'm Max. I lead five of the others in here." Max then turns to each person she names as she names them and points them out to me. "Fang and Nudge are here; Angel and her dog Total are over there with her brother the Gasman, or Gazzy, are over there; and Iggy is over there."

I raise an eyebrow as I look at each of them in turn. Fang and Iggy look to be about Max's age, which is probably fifteen, a year younger than me. Nudge looks to be around twelve, but I could be wrong about that. Gazzy – I'm _so_ not going to ask about his name – is maybe nine or so while his sister Angel can't be more than seven or eight.

Turning to the rest of the group, I raise my other eyebrow, asking silently for introductions.

"I'm also Max" – I have to hold in a groan as I hear that from the oldest person in the room; now I have to find a way to differentiate between the two Max's – "and this is my brother Matthew; those are my twin children, Frannie and Ozy; the twins Wendy and Peter are over there; and that's Icarus with them."

Thinking it over, I can tell that Matthew is definitely her brother, but _twin children_? Holy… She couldn't have been older than twelve or thirteen when they were born!

I try hard not to show my amazement over that little detail, and I think I succeed. The other twins are identical except for gender while Icarus just seems to be looking at me. His stare is starting to freak me out, sort of like Iggy's. I'm not going to comment on it, though.

Suddenly something clicks in my mind. _Max… two Maxes… _Those scientists were complaining about them a week ago! They called the groups 'the Flocks'.

Everything fits together as I realize that these people are the rebels destroying branches of Itex.

"You must be the Flocks!" I exclaim once it all fits together in my mind.

Suddenly my train of thought halts as I try to figure out why I'm in this room.

"Why am I in here with you all?" I want to know the answer to that question more than anything right now, because these scientists don't just place an experiment in a random place; they always have a reason. This rule is made certain with the fact that the Director is here.

My agitation makes my wings move slightly. My eyes widen ever so slightly as I see Iggy's head cock to the right. I recognize the gesture as one that all eight of us use when we're trying to hear something better. He was listening to something!

"You have wings?" he exclaims.

My eyes widen even more as I realize he had been listening to my wings moving in agitation. I can only watch for the moment as everyone in the room looks between Iggy and me. Curiously, I hear a bunch of people humming as they move their heads. Mentally shaking myself, I push the thought out of my head and back to the matter on hand.

I have to tell them my story now, but I don't want to tell them about Alexa and the others. These people just won't understand it. It'll be easier if I just exclude anything to do with them and only mention Erik and Victoria; they're my age.

Our story would make more sense if I was the oldest, but I'm not; I'm one of the three that are the youngest. Plus, I really don't want questions I don't want to answer, and talking about those five – mainly Alexa – will bring them up.

I also know I can't bring up the dreams, so I have to pretend I don't know what's happened to them. Luckily, that won't be hard as I really don't know what's happened to them all lately. I'll be telling the truth, just twisting it to fit my needs.

A decision made, I just have to follow through with it.

"I think… I'd better tell you my story…"

I take a deep breath before I start, knowing it's going to be a difficult story to tell. I've just got to say everything without thinking too hard about it.

"I only remember being inside, never outside, though I've been into arena made to look like the outside. I've been in cages or tied to something as long as I can remember. I've been forced to go through horrible tests. I've also been moved around… a lot – only in the last few years of my life, though.

"I was originally in Flint, Michigan. I spent twelve years there. I was only out of my cage when I was being tested, and no other time. I was the only one that ever survived a year and a half at a time in my first room. The others… just died within a month. It was horrible and I was forced to watch as they died for a year and a half, not being taken out of there until I was three.

"My closest friend was Victoria, and she's like us. I'm not sure if she's alive still because they moved me to a new branch when I was twelve. We were tested together a lot, but apart as well. We had been really close friends, but I haven't seen her since." _All of that is true; I haven't physically seen her since, I don't know if she's alive, and I was moved when I was twelve._

"I also had a friend named Erik. He wasn't like us with the wings. No, he was an enhanced child. He was stronger and faster than every other mutant created yet at this branch. They took him away to have him compete with other mutants from other branches of Itex when we were ten.

"These were my two best friends and we were kept together the longest. After I was moved around, though, I never stayed anywhere for long and never made any more friends because of it. I actually lost track of time how long I spent in each branch after Flint.

"From Flint I was moved to Dubai where I was tested in new ways. Now it wasn't how strong I was, or how fast I was, or even how I was made, but how well I could survive. Here they put me in different climates and even through a fake hurricane. They tested me like this for months before I was moved on. I was sent to Ghana, Africa where I had to survive their fake wilderness. Not the weather this time, but creatures and the wilderness itself. I actually enjoyed it, not that most people would. I wouldn't suggest trying it.

"From there I went to Honshu, Japan. This time they were trying to see how I would survive alone, so I was put into an isolation tank."

I pause there for a few moments, taking a deep breath to recover from talking so much, memories taking over, and to see how the others are doing. I look around to see that Fang is grabbing Max's shoulder while she seems to be going through painful memories, like I am. That isolation tank was a torture. They kept me in it for three months and I was ready to die by the time I was set free. Heck, I had thought I had died by then. It isn't my favorite memory at all, but I live with it. I survived; that's all that matters.

Angel looks over at me and then her leader and back at me. I look over at Max, then back at Angel and look sad. I know what she's going through. It's obvious that she been in an isolation tank before; I used to be the same way before. Every time I thought about what that tank had been like, I had gotten horrified. After a while, I just got used to the memory and the fear had gone away mostly.

"I was kept in that isolation tank for three months." All of the younger Max's Flock, as well as Young Max, look up at me in horror. I decide to call her Young Max in my mind; it made it so much easier to tell the two apart in my own mind.

"I was put in there for about a day, a bit less." Wow… no wonder they're all staring at me in horror and amazement. A day would be torture for anyone, but after a while, you just forget that you're in the tank and just close in on yourself.

"Three months, and by the time I was let out, I felt like I had died. It was the torture of all tortures, but I passed their "test" with flying colors it seems. I was sent on… I actually have just come from Dublin, Ireland, which is where I was sent.

"There they just left me alone for a while. I'm guessing they knew about the tank and knew I'd need time to recover from that. I wasn't tested or anything for a while. Heck, I was just kept in a locked room that even had small windows to show me the grass outside. They kept the room so that I didn't feel enclosed.

"Then… week by week, I was put back into testing. They slowly but surely moved me into more enclosed rooms, to see how I'd react. I never reacted, never thought about it really. They sped it up and then realized that I had no reaction what-so-ever to the room size I was in.

"It took them weeks to figure it out, but when they did, I was moved here. I've been here for about a month, getting tested in all different kinds of ways. First it was how long I could last in different tests, like back at Flint. Now they say I'm going to be put through a test of my brain power on a computer…"

"Computers?" That girl, Nudge, looks hopeful. I guess she's good with them.

"Yup."

"Nudge, your job will be to do whatever we're supposed to as fast as you can," Young Max orders. She looks confused for a moment but then nods in understanding and agreement. I wonder what's up with that… I guess I'll find out later… Maybe…

_Max had me, Angel, tell Nudge extra instructions in her head. I'm not to repeat them to anyone._

What the heck… Hmm… So Angel can read minds and send thoughts into other's heads… That sounds very familiar… This means that she has powers too… I wonder how many of these other bird-kids have powers.

"You have powers?" I turn to stare at Angel before I start to glare.

"Erika, you have powers?" I turn in surprise. Frannie is the one asking, and I haven't heard a peep from her, though she's not the only person who's been silent.

I nod and then shape-shift into a wolf. Everyone jumps back and I hold in a smile. Wait… not everyone jumped. Iggy and Icarus didn't jump. It's as if they didn't see it…

I look at them closely and then it hits me, they can't see at all; they're blind. They haven't looked at my face properly the whole time! Hm… this is interesting. That would also explain why their looks have been freaking me out; they're basically looking right through me.

"Don't… be a wolf… please!" Nudge is gasping that out.

I raise an eyebrow and turn my wolf head to the right. They don't like wolves? Well… I guess the Erasers are wolves, but not like this exactly… or am I like an Eraser right now? Nah, they probably just don't like the look for some reason. I don't look like an Eraser; I'd recognize that if I did.

I shift into a monkey this time and anyone could see that the Gasman wants to come and do… _something _to me. I shift back to human form; his look is freaking me out.

"You have more powers, don't you?" I look at Ozy; this is the first time he's spoken.

"How do you know…?" He smiles.

"The same way Angel did, but I didn't blurt it out earlier; I left that to her." She gives him a look.

Oh great… TWO mind-readers now. This isn't going to be fun at all. One mind-reader had always been enough for me, and now I have _two_ to deal with. Someone kill me now.

"Yeah, I have more, but I can only show you one most likely… The other will be harder to show off, though it might be possible." They all nod.

I concentrate on the area next to the Gasman and think about myself moving there, and the next thing anyone knows, I'm next to the Gasman. Everyone is looking around, trying to see where I went, so… I tap the Gasman on the shoulder. His reaction is hilarious: He yelps and jumps up, hits his head on the top of the cage, spins around as he falls down, and lands on his butt, facing me.

I'm kind enough not to laugh, though I really want to, and offer my hand to help him up. He accepts it and stands up. He's staring at me in amazement and I'm trying not to laugh still.

"You – you can teleport!" I nod. "Awesome! Can you take others with you while you teleport?" I nod again, guessing where this is headed. "Take me to Iggy!" I smile and grab his hand, concentrating on the area in between the two blind boys. We suddenly appear next to them and both of them move with a start, surprised because my teleportation makes no noise and then they suddenly realized we were next to them.

"Ah! Don't do that!" We had really surprised Icarus.

"Sorry, but Gazzy here wanted to be with his friend." Icarus frowns but Iggy and Gazzy are both smiling.

"You all wanted to see my other power? Well, since I have people around me, I can try to show you. Like I said, it might be possible for it to work, though I've never done this before." Gazzy looks up at me in amazement. "Hey, Gazzy, wanna help me show it off?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, when I say so, I want you to try and grab my hand again. Okay?" He nods.

I concentrate on putting a shield around my body so that it's like a mould on me. "Go ahead." He reaches his hand out and he's about to touch my arm when he's suddenly stopped.

Frowning, he tries to push harder with the same result; he's stopped short about half a foot from my body. He looks at me closely and then realizes that this is my power.

"What is this? I can't get any closer than this." He puts his hand half a foot from my arm.

"A force field." His eyes go wide and he gasps. Around the room I hear more gasps.

"Can that force field go farther from your body?" I turn to Fang, the quietest person in the room but also the speaker.

"Yeah, but I have to concentrate a lot." He nods and looks like he's deep in thought, but he's always looked like that since I first got in here…

I feel exhausted so I concentrate on my own cage and teleport back there. Then I sit down against the side of the cage. Using my powers can exhaust me if I use them too much and even more if I use all three at once. This wasn't as exhausting as that, but it was more exhausting than if I just used one of them. It's been too long since I've used my powers this often, which doesn't help.

"Shouldn't you put Gazzy back in his cage?" I look over at Icarus.

"Do you think that the scientists will care? They all _know _about my power and I've mixed up people and their cages so often that they just learn to live with it and ignore it. They don't assign cages anymore if I'm in the room." He nods and sits down.

I feel myself falling asleep almost immediately when the door opens almost silently. Looking up, I see a group of people. A closer look shows me that I recognize most of them: Jeb Batchelder, Anne Walker, the Director (who hates me), Omega II, Ari II, Hades, Slayer, and Wolf. The rest look like… Well, like these two Flocks here.

What is going on here? How are there two of – oh, clones again. Stupid scientists cloned the Flocks, though I notice that neither Max is among them. A slight smirk crosses my face as I spot that; those two _must_ be a pain in the butt for Itex if they won't clone them.

I groan silently as I see Jeb step forward. There was no way I could ever like the idiot, even if he does try to smile at me while testing me. It's just impossible not to hate someone who tests me like he is.

"Flock, I don't believe you've met Generation Replica, also known as Generation R." He's gesturing to the bird-kid group behind him.

It doesn't pass my notice that he's talking to only Young Max and her group. I guess they're the ones actually _named_ The Flock. The other group must just get that name used because they're like the Flock.

The only other thing that doesn't pass my notice is that no one is talking to me. It's like I don't exist among these people. I'm not another experiment, not one of the best made ones. This group means more to them than I do. It's actually a nice change.

Anne Walker steps forward just as Jeb steps back before saying, "We have something we'd like to tell you." The rest all nod in agreement to her statement. "Itex has changed. We've got new goals and new ways to reach them."

I have to stop myself from snorting as the Director steps forward and continues, barely noticing Anne step back. "We're making friends with all the experiments and we wish to train you to make you stronger. Then we wish to have you help us save the world."

In the pause that follows that statement, Angel speaks into my mind, giving me déjà vu from back when I was with Brandon and he'd tell us all unspoken information the scientists thought when they forgot he could read minds.

_And then they're going to go back to their old selves, keeping us locked up and testing us._

This time I do snort, though I keep it silent so that I don't draw attention to myself. These idiots don't want to save the world; they want to destroy it. This is a distraction for something. Unfortunately, the only way to find out what it's for is by going along, so we need to; otherwise, who knows how we'll ever find out the truth behind it _or_ how to stop them, though I know that it'll be the others that stop them, not me.

"So how does this _training _work?" Young Max questions with a touch of sarcasm that isn't very noticeable unless you've used it as much as I have thanks to Erik and Victoria; we're all masters at using it and picking up on it. "Are you going to make us fly to the moon? The sun? Oh wait, make us swim to the deepest part of the sea!" Now only an idiot that's as thick as ten trees standing side-by-side wouldn't pick up on her sarcasm.

"Of course not. You're all going to be working on computers, learning all you can in a week with very detailed instructions," the Director replies as if her ideas are the stupidest ones in the world.

So this explains the computers they were telling me about… They just _had_ to leave out that I wouldn't be the only one to use them. Oh well; that's their way here. I've given up trying to figure them out. It doesn't matter to me what they make me do; I just do it so that I can get it over with.

The Director gestures to Jeb and he shows us a packet with about eighteen pages in it. "These packets," The Director continues, "Should teach you everything you need to know and keep you busy."

Ha! So I was right; this is just a major distraction. Wrong word choice, _Lady Director_; you just gave it all away.

"What about Iggy and Icarus?" Young Max asks.

She's right… They can't see the computer screens. I hope the scientists don't have an idea for it as it would be amusing to see them not actually have everything perfect for once.

"Who? Oh, the blinds ones. Yes, well, they'll be given computers with headphones that will tell them what you're all learning."

Darn! They thought of something for it! And I was so hoping that this would catch them out this time.

"Are you in kids?" Jeb asks. The response to that is a hard look from the eldest of Max's group and all of Young Max's Flock. I just sort of stare at him with no emotion, showing my displeasure by not showing anything at all, not that it seems anyone notices me.

To my amusement, the looks from the others make him actually take a step back before he rephrases the question. "Sorry… Are you all in?"

Both Maxes nod for their groups, so I guess they've come to the same thought as I have: The only way to figure this all out is to go along with it. I nod as well, but no one is actually looking at me.

_These guys must be important_, I sign to myself, barely moving my hands.

I sigh internally as my cage is opened and I'm forced to follow the clones, who are definitely smarter than Erasers.

_This is going to be a long day_, I tell myself.

* * *

**Well... You might recognize part of this as chapter 9 from Old and New Attack just slightly different, and it is. Otherwise, all of this is the dialogue and movements from that story once Erika joined, but with her thoughts. Personally, I liked writing it better from her POV than the original version, but that might just be because I like Erika's character better. Well, tell me what you thought of it in a review. Another chapter in two days, hopefully. If I don't post one Wednesday or Thursday... Sorry, but I'm headed back to Florida on those days, basically, so Internet might not be possible.  
**

**Posted: 8/2/10 (Alberta's Civic Holiday - the oddest holiday I've ever known as it's basically a day off without a reason. XD)  
**


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

I stare around the room without looking like I am. It's _full_ of electronics that look brand new! What the heck are they doing, basically trashing all of this stuff? They're idiots who waste perfectly good technology for no reason whatsoever.

In fact, I think this stuff isn't even at the other branches I've been to. I know this place has really high-tech stuff, but they don't have to _waste_ what they might call outdated.

An almost silent voice behind me catches my attention. Gazzy is talking to Iggy, who probably has really good hearing because he's blind. Victoria once mentioned to me that those with a bad sense – meaning weak or gone – make up for it in another. The blind make up for it in hearing.

"Hey, Ig. Some of the best high-tech, "outdated" stuff I've ever seen in here. There's a whole damn lot of it too."

"You serious?" Iggy's slightly louder response shows his immense amazement at Gazzy's words. It doesn't make much sense to me as it's not like there's anything we can do with this stuff, but they both might just be into technology.

"Dead serious."

"Think Max will let us build with this stuff? Maybe we can get Icarus and Matt to join in."

_Build what? _I think to myself as I continue to listen to the conversation that no one knows I can hear. Some people might have told others that they can hear well, but I'd rather keep that information close to myself for now; I don't know this group well enough yet.

I begin to snicker quietly as I spot Matthew turning his head around at random times out of the corner of my eye. He's slightly behind me, but the constant movement catches my attention, so it gives me an excuse to turn and see the blond head of Gazzy facing the bend-over, strawberry-blond head of Iggy as they whisper. It seems that Matthew can hear them and is interested in their conversation as well.

"Who knows, but she may. Uh… Matt is staring at the stuff, with a look in his eye like you get when you want to make bombs or have an evil idea."

_Make BOMBS? What the heck is up with these people? They talk like they make bombs all the time! I'm never going to understand these guys… They're so different from my friends._

"Hey!" Iggy exclaims loudly enough to catch the attention of Icarus. I have a feeling he's been paying attention the entire time and is just now turning to face their direction so that they know.

"Just saying. Oh, Icarus is listening and seems interested." Icarus nods. "He just nodded in agreement to what I said."

I sit down at a computer as we reach them. They're newer than the ones in the pile behind us. These people just don't stop _improving_ on things.

I try not to snicker as I spot Fang, Young Max, Max, and a couple others looking back at Gazzy and Iggy as well as Icarus and Matthew, all four of whom slowed down as they talked or listened. It took a lot of work to get used to doing that, but I got good at walking and listening to other conversations without slowing down or showing it.

"_Boys_," Young Max groans, obviously a bit impatient and annoyed. "Can you _come on_?"

"Coming," Gazzy calls. He then adds basically under his breath after she turns to face the computers again, "_Mom…_"

I hear Iggy snicker lightly. A light, choked laugh – the type that means it's being held in, but not completely – comes from beside me. Turning my head ever so slightly, I spot Angel with her lips in a thin line with a smile on her face as she tries to hold in her laughter. She must have picked up the extra word by reading Gazzy's mind.

The others are led to a computer each by the clones and scientists. Iggy and Icarus are handed headphones with microphones while the rest of us just get packets to use.

As the scientists leave, Jeb adds, "Have fun all of you!" before closing the door behind him, locking it with a light "Click!" I roll my eyes along with the others.

The entire room is silent for a few moments where no on moves, though I don't know why as I'm just going along with what everyone else is doing. Finally, Angel says in her light voice that shows a little relief, "They're gone and we have nothing watching us. They really think that we're going to do this and are leaving us without a way to watch us and only a locked door to keep us in the room."

"Does that mean Gaz and I can make bombs with this awesome stuff?" Iggy asks excitedly as he faces Young Max's direction, making it obvious who he's asking. I'm still amazed that they're planning on making _bombs_.

Young Max sighs, "Yes… go ahead, but don't expect us to help you if Itex gives us a test on the stuff because we _aren't _telling you the lessons!"

I roll my eyes as even _I_ figure out their plan before Gazzy does it. . They were going to plug in the headphones, put them on full volume, place them on the floor, and work there. Gazzy does everything as I had guessed it, and states in a proud and pleased voice, "Won't have to ask you."

"Fine," Young Max says with another sigh. "Just don't blow up the room yet or get caught making bombs."

"Don't worry Max, we won't," Gazzy says in a very innocent voice.

As this is going on, I pick up on whispering from Matthew and Icarus. It seems they both want to help, but they're trying to decide if they should just as blunt as Iggy had been or not. I roll my eyes at all of it, though I'm _still_ confused on the whole 'bomb making thing'.

"Yes!" both Gazzy and Iggy cry as Gazzy pumps his right first in the air at the success.

"Hey, can Matt and I help?" Icarus asks as he and Matthew come to their agreement. Both Iggy and Gazzy nod.

"Are those two going to teach my two how to make bigger and stronger bombs?" Max asks Young Max in a whisper that obviously carries to the others as everyone looks at them.

"Probably," Young Max replies while nodding and giving Gazzy a meaningful look. He just smiles innocently, to which she shakes her head and smiles slightly in amusement.

I'm finally tired of just going along with this. Making bombs just doesn't make sense! Both Maxes are just letting them build bombs. What the heck is going on? I need to find this out _now_ before it drives me mad.

"Wait, you four are making _bombs_?" Gazzy turns to face me as I brush my brown hair out of my eyes forcefully; it had gotten into my face as I moved my head around the room during the conversation.

"Yeah, we are," Iggy answers with a shrug as if it's no big deal. "Why are you asking? Have a problem with it?"

Thinking about it carefully, I realize I don't have a problem with it. The problem is that it's not what I expected when I heard about these guys. They're mainly known as rebels that had escaped from Itex and were causing trouble. No one ever mentions that they build and use bombs. It's nothing like what I had expected.

"No… but it just isn't what I expected," I admit, being quite truthful.

"What did you expect then?" Fang asks me, which surprises me as it shows that _all_ of them are interested to find out what I had expected.

"I'm not sure, but I've heard all about you all and… I didn't expect you all to be like this. I expected to find… I'm not sure what I expected to find, but it wasn't bomb-building, ability-using, bird-kids."

I'm not sure why I'm being so truthful with them. Maybe I trust them on some level, or maybe it's because I want them to realize I want them to tell me things. Who knows? I sure don't, which probably means no one else can tell me.

"Well that's what you've got because that's what we are," Young Max states before turning to her computer and gesturing for the others to copy her.

Sighing internally, I mimic them. The stupid computer packet is so boring that I'm tempted just to zoom through it. In fact, I think I will.

I basically zoom through the packet in one day, but I continue to look busy once I finish in a few hours. The others don't know it, but I've seen scientists using computer so much in my life that I know how to use them, and I know all of the shortcuts on them. Plus, the packet it literally instructions.

Nudge finishes before me, but we're the only two to finish today, not that anyone realizes I'm done. I open the packet again to the second page and then just start messing around on the computer, playing games like Solitaire and Pinball. No one is any the wiser.

Once in a while, I glance at the four boys on the ground and shake my head slightly at how they're making the bombs. They're so easy to make, but they're also complicated. Basically, if you have the right supplies, it's simple, but if you don't, it can take a lot longer. Plus, the way they're making the bombs has a lot of complex ideas in it, but the pieces make it simple.

I'm actually very surprised at how well the four of them work, Iggy and Gazzy being the best.

Finally, someone comes to pick us up. The boys have hidden their bombs, and I _know_ they've got extra supplies with them somewhere.

When we get to the room, the smell in there overpowers me: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and peas. There's a plate for each of us on a bed along with a backpack and clothes that fit each of us; each bed has a name on it to tell us who it's for.

_Why are we being put in a room with beds? There's no reason to keep us out of cages. Unless… They're _still_ going with the idea that they want us to help them, aren't they? Idiots. It's so obvious that they're faking it._

I'm started out of my thoughts by Angel's cry of "Total!" Angel is running to a little black dog. She picks him up. I guess he's Total…

"I was wondering when you all would get here. Oh, I tested all the food; all safe," the dog, Total, says.

_A dog is _talking_? What. The. Hell! Don't tell me that Itex experimented on a _dog_!_

To my amazement, all of the others smile and begin to eat. _Are they MAD?_

"You all trust a _talking _DOG?" I exclaim in disbelief.

"Yes, we do. He's with us and comes with us on our trip. He can also fly; show her Total," Angel informs me before turning to the dog.

_Holy… Itex has seriously experimented on a dog. I mean, it _talks_!_ _And… are those _wings_ on the dog?_

My jaw drops open as the dog, Total, opens _wings_ folded against his back. _No. Freaking. Way!_

"We trust him Erika, and so should you. Just eat your food," Angel basically orders me.

I'm still in shock about the talking, winged dog, so I just nod and start eating, barely paying attention to the fact that the others have resumed as well.

Itex has seriously gone off the deep end, in my opinion. A talking dog… They must have gone mad to do that experiment.

My mind is so full of disbelieving thoughts that I don't even realize Gazzy went into the bathroom until he comes out and says, "Might not wanna go in there – if you know what I mean." He continues to go and lie down on his bed as he listens to the reaction.

"Ew, Gazzy! Not again. Guys, don't go into the bathroom for at least half an hour… Even with the fan on, it'll still stink."

"Thanks, Nudge. You're so kind." Gazzy's sarcasm that he's masking as fake-hurt is amusing.

Unfortunately, I realize now that there's a reason his name is the Gasman. I'm _so_ not going to the bathroom for at least a good half hour. At least he turned the fan on…

The four boys make more bombs for a while until Young Max says we should all go to bed. As it's been a long day, I agree and lie down. I whisper a goodnight that the others just barely hear before I close my eyes and fall asleep almost immediately, my exhaustion from both the day and using my powers earlier too overpowering.

Sadly, this series of events reoccurs every day for the next six days, meaning we're in that room for a week. Even computer games get so boring that I start going on the Internet and randomly searching things about anything that comes to mind.

I read the news on the attacks on Itex; I search and find out where all of the still-running branches of the company are, though they're probably not all; I find Fang's Blog, which is actually really good; I even go and find random videos to watch without sound. I do a lot more, but most of it slips from my mind once I'm done because I only went to those sites to block out the boredom slightly.

Gazzy and Iggy have been making bombs the whole time with Icarus and Matthew helping them. They have over half a million I think; Gazzy and Iggy have been talking about the amazing number. They're all done with the computer stuff and have been since the second day. They've just been building away over there in their little corner.

The rest are finally finishing now. I've seen Nudge do a lot of stuff just randomly. I think she's been researching specific things, though it looks like she's been done for a while. She has been printing out what looks like a novel all week and hiding it away in a secret pocket I watched her make in her backpack.

"Max?" Nudge randomly asks, making both heads fly up. I just watch from the corner of my eye, pretending not to react even though everyone else does. "You might want to come look at this…"

I look up and watch as first Young Max and then the other walks over to Nudge, followed by the others. I finally move last, slipping into a space just large enough for me to squeeze in and see the screen.

Everyone else gasps just as I catch sight of three adults chained to a wall in a cell that reminds me of the Torture Room back in Flint. All are unconscious.

It's obvious to me that these people mean something to the others, especially Young Max. I can almost feel her anger as heat, she's that pissed off. I truly feel sorry for whoever did this to those people, because they'll be in terrible pain by the end of this.

I watch silently from behind Young Max as she taps Gazzy lightly. He looks up at his leader that's basically his mother – this is something I had figured out during the week – and his eyes widen in amazement. I'm going to bet and say that Young Max had just raised an eyebrow.

Neither of them knew it, I had heard a lot of conversations whispered over the week. Young Max is planning on destroying this branch of Itex with bombs, so Iggy and Gazzy are very important in her plan.

Young Max turns her head to the right, allowing me to see the hard look in her eye that's surrounded by a fierce fire. Gazzy nods and begins to finger his bombs in his pockets. Young Max smiles ever so slightly before turning back to the screen, thinking about who knows what.

I just stare at the screen in silence, watching as the adults wake up and begin talking, wondering what they're talking about.

"Nudge, got any sound on this thing?" Young Max asks with a tone that said she wants it done _fast_. Nudge does fast, literally unplugging the headphones plugged into the computer and turning it up, not saying a word.

"-are you here?" one of the adults is saying.

"I don't know exactly," the man says. "A few of the younger ones from both Flocks had found me on my day off and then some of the older ones came to pick them up. I don't remember anything after that except a black cloth bag being put over my head and a sweet smell."

"I was spending a night with Fang," a redhead adult says and I get confused at that statement as Fang has been here with us all week. "I was walking him out and a black cloth bag and a sweet smell are all I can remember."

"Well I actually saw my kidnappers," the third and final adult says; she's Hispanic. "I also don't think that those who got you two were the real Flock members. I saw members from both Flocks as well as a few others, but I never saw Max."

The distraction finally made sense to me now. The scientists have been using it to get time to send Generation R out to go and collect these three adults. Smart move, really. Distract us and go on a kidnapping spree after people who are obviously important to a bunch of people.

"Gazzy, Iggy," Young Max states in a no-nonsense tone. They both turn to her, looks of understanding on their faces, though everyone else is confused; I pretend to look confused myself. "Get the stuff ready, it's time." Both boys looks shocked, but they're mainly excited, which I can understand after watching them make the darn bombs.

I decide I have to ask for the group as everyone is confused at this point besides me; they all also seem to be in a little shock over both the video feed and Young Max's actions.

"Max, what are they doing?" I point to Gazzy and Iggy, who are making Icarus and Matthew get their bombs out.

"The plan," is all Young Max says, which worries the others.

"Max, what plan?" The other Max sounds worried as she finally finds her voice. "We never had a plan."

"The plan I made up with Gazzy and went from him to Iggy." Young Max suddenly turns to look at Fang, who's looking very confused. "Guys, don't worry about it. The boys are just going to set up bunch of bombs around the building and then blow it up." Everyone else relaxes at that, but I'm confused about something now.

"Blow up the building? First, we're in the building, and second, we're locked in a room with no way to set up the bombs anyway." I want a reason not to worry even though it's obvious to me they've done this before. Luckily, I'm new to this, so my asking doesn't look odd, though it's probably annoying. _Oh well; I'm not used to the idea of using bombs to blow up an Itex branch._

"Erika, we've done this more than once. We're going to sneak out of the room, place the bombs, go and get the three scientists out of their cell, get out of the building, and blow it up. We might have to fight a few Erasers or white coats, possibly both, but we'll get out just fine."

I can't believe she's so certain about this. This is Itex we're talking about! No matter how sure of themselves they are, this can't work.

"How are you so sure? I mean, this is Itex we're talking about! They kill without worry." I really need to know the answer to this.

Max sighs and gestures to Angel before walking over to the four boys to talk to them. I lose track of their conversation as Angel takes over explaining it to me.

"We've spent the last year going from Itex branch to Itex branch," Angel begins. "Many times we just bomb the place, but before we even started going after Itex branches like this, we got kidnapped at least half a dozen times. Once we started, we got kidnapped every other branch or so.

"Basically, we're had to sneak out, bomb the place, and run before anyone could come after us. It's a lot of work, and it takes perfect timing as the bombs are usually timed, not remote-controlled. Overall, we're ready.

"We've done this so many times that we know what getting captured means, and so, because we've escaped so many times, we're sure of ourselves when it comes to getting out _and_ destroying the buildings," Angel finishes.

I realize now that these guys have all done this so many times that they could probably do it in their sleep. As long as I follow them and do as they say and do, I'll be fine and finally _free_.

"Was that good enough for you Erika?" Young Max asks as she suddenly walks over to us, startling me as I had been too deep in thought to hear her coming up behind me.

"Yeah. I get it now," I reply once the quick shock is over. I'm also happy to be telling the complete truth; it makes sense now.

"Then let's go. Boys, come on, time to get moving," Young Max calls out.

Everyone grabs their stuff and heads to the door, which Iggy somehow opens with a lock pick that he has in a pocket. The door is unlocked in three minutes, and Young Max turns to the boys.

"Boys, you all go place your bombs and then meet us at the cell down on floor… -" I force myself not to snicker as I realize Young Max has no idea where we're going.

"Two, room fifteen," Nudge finishes, saving Young Max from further embarrassment. The boys nod, not even ay attention to the quick lapse in instructions.

"Go," Young Max orders, and they all take off running down the hall.

"That was very helpful," Young Max tells Nudge after turning to face her. Nudge shrugs.

"I had been listening and heard it from Jeb," she informs us. Young Max just nods.

Young Max gestures for us to follow her, so we do. We're going in the opposite direction from the boys, so they must just be going around placing bombs.

I let my mind wander to who those people might be. I don't know them, but these guys all do, so they probably have something to do with their taking down Itex.

Before I know it, we're at the door of the cell. Young Max stares at the lock in frustration while Fang just studies it. Suddenly, Fang pulls out a lock pick and picks the lock in a fast minute and a half. Angel, Young Max, and Nudge are all staring at him, and he shrugs.

"Iggy taught me and I practiced. I always keep one pick with me."

No one says anything as Young Max opens the door, and steps inside. All three adults are frightened as they look at the group in front of me as I've slip to the back, but the Hispanic one relaxes ever so slightly as she spots Young Max.

"What's going on?" she asks, looking mainly at Young Max.

" Mom," Young Max replies, "we're here to get you three to safety."

I stare at the back of Young Max's head as I realize why she was so pissed before: They have her mother.

Young Max's mother smiles slightly, but the other two people back away from us, still clearly frightened. If Generation R had been the ones to grab them, I can't blame them at all. They're probably so confused right now.

Max moves to remove Young Max's mother's chains from her while Angel stares at the other two with all her concentration. Moments later, both of them jolt slightly before relaxing and allowing Fang and Wendy to unlock their chains. I'm the only one to notice what Angel had done, but I'm very good at keeping my thoughts, emotions, and observations hidden; not even Brandon can find them these days. Angel has no chance against me, so she thinks no one noticed.

We walk out the door, and we're blocked by Generation R. I fight a groan as I realize that the cameras must have picked us up as we had rushed down here.

They all allow us into the hall, and I see the four boys staring at us from down the hall before they run down the hall and then freeze. I see an internal battle for a few moments before they all turn silently and run.

_Angel must have had a fight with them… Probably both Maxes making her order them to run and hide._

"Well, what do we have here? Some little sneaks that thought they could save their little scientists from us when we've been watching you since you left the room. We've also been watching you all in the room, looking over the tapes for the past few days. We'd expected more than you all just working on the computer the entire time," Omega II said mockingly with a smirk on his face.

I'm surprised for a moment before I realize that if Nudge had been able to get into the cameras before, she had to have hacked it, which meant she probably changed the memory to show us all being perfect little angels.

"Too bad we disappointed you, but we love to do that and you should all know it. If you all thought we're always rebellious, you're all idiots because we _know_ how to follow the rules, but we usually prefer not to," Young Max mocks. I'm guessing Angel held a quick conversation.

"Well it doesn't matter because you're all going to be imprisoned."

Generation R suddenly charges us and covers each of our heads with black cloth bags. I'm forced to breathe in a sickly sweet scent before I feel myself falling unconscious. I fall to my knees hard and then hit the ground on my right side.

My last thought is: _Damn_.

* * *

**Well... Not much to say about this chapter because I said it all last time. Mostly I'm just going to let you know that if I don't get the review tonight, you might not get a reply until sometime tomorrow evening as I'll be on a plane for most of tomorrow. Otherwise, just let me know what you think of all of this in a review. Oh, and remember that Erika really doesn't know anything about the two Flocks, their families, the CSM, or anything else to do with them. Anyway, I'm just going to shut up and post this.**

**Posted: 8/4/10  
**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty**

I wake up slowly, my head pounding like no tomorrow. My eyes sting and I have an urge to sneeze for some reason.

Sitting up carefully, I try to remember where I am and how I got here without opening my eyes; they still sting and opening would probably make it worse. It hits me suddenly as memories flow back to me. My eyes snap open without even thinking about it, and the stinging dies. I guess I should have just opened them.

Those idiots from Generation R… They knocked us out! Oh man, they're going to pay when I see them again, that's for sure.

I try to move, and pain shoots up my arms. Looking around, I feel an urge to throw up whatever is in my stomach. They've put me back in a Torture Room.

Flashbacks take over my mind as it flashes between the past and the present, comparing the two rooms. Both are small, stone rooms with a huge, thick metal door. There's only one main difference: I'm not alone.

Next to me, chained to the wall, is Nudge. She's still unconscious, but her arms are also covered in blood from the chains rubbing her wrists. In fact, mine are also covered in blood, though a lot less of it.

Nudge suddenly starts breathing deeply and then coughs a few times as she stirs. I just watch her as she blinks her eyes open slowly. Her brown eyes – not the same shade as mine; mine are darker than hers – slowly move around the room, assessing the situation. When they finally land on me, her eyes widen in surprise.

"What's going on?" she asks quietly.

"Generation R has us in one of the Torture Rooms of one of the Australian branches of Itex," I reply, knowing that with enough information her memories will return.

"Oh…" she mutters as I see a darkness enter her eyes, telling me that she remembers now. "This is bad, really bad. We could die down here at the rate we're going. If we don't get out of here soon, we'll get really thirsty. Oh! I could so use a nice glass of lemonade; I mean, it would taste so good compared to the taste that comes from sleeping."

"Nudge!" I exclaim, trying to make her stop talking. _Man, she's worse than Jen, and that's saying something! _I guess I finally found out why the Flock doesn't let her get talking…

"Sorry…" she mutters. "It's just, I'm so worried. We need a lot of food, and no one can live more than a few days without water. If we don't get all we need, we'll start getting weak and then sick before we die."

"Nudge!" I exclaim again, startling her. "We'll be _fine_. Trust me; nothing will happen to us. Max and the others will find a way to get us out of here.

"Besides," I add, "they won't starve us at all. We're too important to them. If we die, _they'll_ be the ones in trouble; they can't have that happen, now, can they?"

Nudge smiles slightly, telling me she'll be alright. It's a relief to me; the fear she had shown before was _not_ a good thing.

"Thanks," she whispers quietly as she stares at the wall on the other side of the small room.

I just nod in response, and we fall silent, each of us to our own thoughts.

If I actually get out of here, there's a chance I might just be able to find Alexa, Jen, Brandon, Shawn, Kyle, Victoria, and Erik. We might be able to all be in the same place at once without it being a dream. The eight of us could finally be the real family we want to be, not a separated one.

I sigh internally as I think about each of my friends. It's been six years since I've last seen Erik; four since Victoria and I were separated; Alexa and the others haven't seen me since that day a few months ago, though, if I'm being truthful to myself, I'd have to say that it doesn't truly count as we only got a few hours together. I truly haven't seen any of them together in about two years.

A tear forms in my eye and travels down my cheek to my chin without me making a move to stop it; luckily it's on the side facing away from Nudge.

_I just want to see my family again._

These two groups, they're families. I'm just a tag-along right now. Young Max and her five are one family that's obviously been through so much together. The other Max and her seven make up a family that's even older than Young Max's. I can see pain in Max's eyes, though it looks like it's been fading slowly over time. She's seen someone close to her die, someone leave her forever; that's something that never goes away completely.

I understand her pain in a way Young Max's Flock can't. They all still have each other; Max lost someone dear to her. I've been separated from my family for years; it's different, yet it's also the same, just not at the same level. My pain might just go away, though the remnants will always be there, even if they're just slivers of the pain.

I close my eyes tightly as I try to get these thoughts out of my head. If I let these things take over me, I'll lose myself like I did in that isolation tank and after it.

A noise outside the door, which is somehow not completely soundproof to my sharp ears, catches my attention, and my head flashes up to stare at the door. I hear Nudge move beside me, but I don't give her any mind as I try to figure out what's going on.

A muttered curse catches my attention and I snicker lightly. The four boys are outside the room, obviously trying to unlock the door to the cell next to ours. It seems Gazzy is trying to open the door and is swearing as it's taking longer than he had expected.

"The boys are here," I mutter softly to Nudge, who gasps lightly and turns to look at the door as well instead of me.

I hear the voices of both Maxes, both sets of twins, and the soft footsteps of Fang join Icarus, Iggy, Gazzy, and Matthew in the hall. Iggy and Icarus are telling them all to be quiet as Gazzy steps up to the door (I had somehow learned their footsteps over the past week) and the sound of a laser working on the lock of the door is heard.

Raising an eyebrow at the noise, I have to give Iggy credit; building a laser must have been hard. It also had to have been Iggy as Gazzy is cursing him out right now, a little annoyed at how hard the laser is to work, even though I'm betting it's not that hard.

The door suddenly opens and Gazzy comes in with some sort of metal object in his hand, which I'm guessing is the laser. He quickly walks over and cuts Nudge's chain with the laser, being careful only to use the laser on the lock so that it doesn't hurt her. After she's free, he moves over to me and flashes a smile at me before he frees me. I smile in thanks as I softly rub my raw wrists and stand up, following him out of the room.

The next room holds the three adults while the one after holds Angel, who Gazzy has to comfort. As we're leaving Angel's cell, I hear footsteps that I recognize, and I have to hold in a growl. Around me, Max's family all gasps before a couple let out growls, which I join in with to find a way to vent my anger.

"You all again!" Max yells. In front of us are a group of scientists led by Dr. Frezer, the one that I truly want to hurt right now.

"Yes, we're back, and you're all in huge trouble. Now, either come with us quietly or we'll make you come with us," Dr. Frezer orders, as if we'll actually listen. _I'm _so_ going to make him hurt._

"Come with you quietly? No way! Get out of our way or we'll make you Dr. Frezer!" Max screeches, obviously as angry as I am at these idiots.

Behind us, Iggy and Gazzy are snickering, though I barely pay attention to them as I give the scientists looks that could kill.

Dr. Frezer reaches into his pocket and begins to pull out a stun-gun. Max's family and I all begin to charge the group of scientists while Young Max's Flock follows, the blind boys both coming last.

I go straight to Dr. Frezer and kick the gun out of his hand and punch him in the nose, breaking it easily. Max and Matthew punch him in the gut. Around me, the others are all kicking and punching the other scientists. Max's family is actually aiming to do bodily harm while Young Max's Flock is just trying to subdue.

As I continue to attack Dr. Frezer, I hear Max's family calling each of the scientists stupid depending on whom they're attacking. "Stupid Dr. Frezer, Dr. Garcia, Dr. Lange, Dr. Cain, Dr. Zumbado, and Dr. Peck!"

Suddenly, Iggy calls out just loud enough for the others to hear over the fighting but not the scientists, "Everyone out of the way."

I quickly move and watch as Iggy and Icarus throw what look like bombs down the hall to the scientists. Sadly, they aren't bombs that blow up them; sleeping bombs activate and knock the scientists out cold.

As I follow the others through the group of scientists at the back of the group but before the three adults, I kick Dr. Frezer right in the balls. _I wouldn't want to be him when he wakes up_, I think with a vicious smirk on my face, which is very abnormal for me, but I hate scientists of Itex, and this is just the one I know personally here.

Behind me, the three adults are making noises that tell me they can't believe we fought that well and that fast. I have to snicker as it's obvious that these three just don't know what we bird-kids can do when we want to.

Once we get to the roof, we find a helicopter for four, which the three adults get into with Young Max's mother as the pilot. _I sure hope she can fly that thing_.

I open my wings, amazed at the feeling of opening them under the real sun, in the real outdoors. I've never felt this before; what I feel in my dreams has nothing on this. The feel of real wind flying through my feathers, shifting them back and forth, is so amazing that I don't want it to ever stop.

Pushing off the top of the building and flapping my wings, I truly feel free. The wilderness back in Africa was freedom, but this is another type of freedom. This is freedom on an entirely different level. I'll never feel like this anywhere else but in the open sky.

Just as we get to the five-hundred yard mark in the air from the building, Generation R flies up to block our way. Most of the others prepare to fight them, but I stay back, wanting to see where this goes.

_Don't fight. Let the boys throw bombs at them to distract them until we can get the CSM members out of the way. After that we can fight… if there's anything left to fight._

Smart idea, Angel and Ozy… Very smart idea, indeed. That'll take care of them fast and let us get away.

Wait! CSM members? Who are they? What is the CSM? Oh… Probably Young Max's mother and the other two. Nevermind…

I watch from the back of the group as the boys take out their bombs, strap a second remote, which is in the form of a wristwatch, to their right wrists, throw the bombs, and make them explode right before they hit Generation R. I have to admire their timing; they got it perfect. The bombs exploded in the exact position to get maximum impact on more than one target each.

I barely even realize until after it's all over that the others move to be next to me with the helicopter moving as well. It's not until the others start to move that I spot them and follow as they lead the helicopter in a large arc around the area of smoke that's still left from the bombs.

When we turn to look at Generation R, the whole group is gone except for three that are badly hurt. I don't even begin to move as I watch Iggy and Gazzy launch a couple more bombs that hit all three of them and knock them out of the sky as well.

Once they're all gone, Young Max leads the group and the helicopter away from the Itex building. I snicker as I see Gazzy and Matthew turning around to look at the building and whispering to Iggy and Icarus. It's obvious that they want to blow up the building already but are waiting for the perfect time.

"Are we far enough away?" Iggy asks suddenly, his voice showing how impatient and excited he is. Both Maxes turn to see that we are far enough away as they sigh loudly.

"_Yes,_" they both sigh.

All four boys punch the air as they turn to face the building even though Iggy and Icarus can't see it. Each boy puts a finger to their watches – not the ones used earlier on Generation R, though – as Iggy begins to count down.

"Three… Two… One… And GO!" They all hit their watches at the same moment and the next thing I hear is a giant "_**BOOM!**_"

It's obvious that the boys are _very_ pleased while both Maxes, though mainly Young Max, aren't quite as happy.

A giant fireball explodes from the building that used to be known as the head branch of Australia's Itexicon but it now a huge fire. I smirk happily as I realize that I'm not only free, but that branch can never torture experiments again. Unfortunately, that damn Director would have run the moment all of us were knocked out and locked up; she's not stupid enough to think the Flock and Max's family wouldn't find a way out, especially with four of the boys hiding in the building.

"Did you boys use more than fifty bombs _all together_ like I said?" Young Max asks with a hint of anger in her voice.

Gazzy looks at Max innocently. "Max, you never _said_ fifty bombs in total, just fifty bombs."

I hold in a snicker as I realize they had used her own words against her. Iggy and Gazzy had known _exactly_ what she had meant when she had given them instructions while Angel had been talking with me, but they had ignored her and just done what they could while still following orders.

"How many did you use?" Young Max's voice shows danger for the boys and they all flinch ever so slightly, but they continue to stand tall anyway.

"Uh… two hundred I think. Yeah, two hundred. Fifty each." Gazzy hesitates, which tells me, even if it doesn't tell Young Max, that he's fibbing ever so slightly, not that I'm going to tell on him. This is too amusing to watch for me to interfere.

"You boys overdid it there, but there's nothing we can do now, I guess." _Aw… _At least she knows when to give up, though.

Young Max moves away, and I hear Iggy mutter to Gazzy, "You do know we used more like two hundred and _ten_ bombs, right?"

"Yeah," Gazzy mutters back, "but she'd have been furious if we went over fifty each and you know it as well as I do."

I snicker slightly as I listen to their hushed conversation. It's so obvious that they're afraid of Young Max, though it seems that they have a good reason or five.

"Yeah, they used fifty _each_. Trying to take my words and use it to their advantage. Next time, I'm saying in total as well as a number," Young Max is telling Max over to the side.

Looking around I see Angel and Gazzy and both flapping their wings in sync and their wings are touching as they do it; a bird kid hug in the air so that we don't get our wings tangled but can still touch. Nudge is talking to Iggy and he's trying not to whack her on the head with his wing I think. Ozy is talking to Icarus quietly. Wendy and Frannie are looking around along with Fang and Peter; those four are the quiet ones that are obviously finding this hilarious. Both Maxes are at the helicopter, talking to the three adults.

"There's an airport about five miles away – a private airport of Itex. We're going to take a jet from them. Force them to take us if we have to," Young Max states. "No bombs for this," she adds as she spots Iggy grinning evilly. The rest of us smirk at his face.

The helicopter leads us to the airport and the jet. I just let myself follow the others as I enjoy the sensations of flying outside of a dream for the first time for a long period. It takes the others landing by the jet for me to realize we're here.

Once we're on the plane, I zone out for a bit, and I guess I sleep for a while. When I finally wake up, I find Angel and Nudge are sitting on either side of me, drinking soda and looking as if they've been waiting for me to wake up. I stretch, rub my eyes of the sleep in them, and yawn silently yet widely before looking between the two girls as they watch me.

"Can I help you both?" I ask quietly as I look around and see most of the others are asleep right now including both Maxes.

"We thought we'd tell you where we're headed and things you might like to know," Angel says quietly, obviously trying not to let Nudge get started just yet.

"Oh, thanks," I say as my eyes widen slightly in my shock at their thoughtfulness and kindness.

"We're going to Arizona," Nudge begins. "Max's mom lives there with Max's half-sister, Ella. She's a year older than me at thirteen, almost fourteen. Ella looks more like their mom than Max does; Max looks more like her dad." Nudge's face gets a darker look to it as she mentions Young Max's father.

"Ella is probably being protected right now until we get there with her mom," Angel continues.

"Okay," I say as they look at me, trying to figure out if I'm following them, which I am quite easily.

"So, those three we rescued are scientists for the CSM, Coalition to Stop the Madness," Nudge says, ignoring my sudden stiffening at the word scientist. "They're trying to help us stop Itex and save the word at the same time. Without them we probably wouldn't know half the things we do right now, though I got us a jackpot of information that we don't have."

"Erika," Angel whispers to catch my attention as I'm still stiff from the word scientist, "they're good people and nothing like the white coats from Itex. They all hate Itexicon and their workers; they're against everything they do."

I relax slightly, but I'm still more cautious of them now. I've always been around scientists in my life, and it hasn't been a good experience for me.

"Oh yeah," Nudge agrees, "they're really good people. I've never met scientists like them before. It's like your have good scientists and bad scientists; these guess are excellent scientists that don't do evil things like try to experiment on children or steal them from their families."

"Steal them from their families?" I ask quietly. I had heard that many experiments were given freely, sold, or from scientists, but never kidnapped.

"Yeah, most experiments were worked on in the womb and then stolen after birth," Nudge says, surprising me greatly. "Fang, Iggy, and I were all like that. Max's father, unfortunately, works for Itex, so he stole her from her mother, who had done it voluntarily as she once worked for Itex, but they cut her out after Max was born. Her mother stopped after that and has never thought like that again. Angel and Gazzy, on the other hand… their mother sold them to Itex…" Nudge's voice softens as she looks at Angel sadly, who looks back at her with a slightly sad face.

"I'm closer to Max's story than any other, but it's still very different," I mutter so quietly that they can barely hear me; it wouldn't surprise me if it was only Angel's mind-reading that tells her what I just said.

"You know your parents?" Angel asks curiously as I haven't mentioned it before now.

"Yeah… Bastards," I mutter even quieter than before. I'm pretty sure my face is so dark that you could expect to see stars on it any moment now.

"You hate them, don't you?" Nudge asks quietly.

"More than anyone else in the world," I agree before closing my eyes tightly, trying to fight the wave of memories trying to overtake my mind. I just barely manage to succeed in stopping them from coming.

"Thanks for the information, you two," I say softly after a bit. "It's really helpful to actually understand what's going on around here. I'm the odd-one-out in this group, so finally understanding some things makes it easier."

"You're welcome," Angel replies with a slight smile on her face.

"No problem!" Nudge exclaims quietly, a huge smile on her face. "It's fun meeting a new bird-kid, if you know what I mean. There aren't many of us out there. I think that except for that girl in New York, we're the only bird-kids alive. I mean, Itex wouldn't make _that_ many of us, would they? They're always wanting to kill all of us on this plane, except for you maybe," Nudge adds at the last moment, barely taking a breath and not letting me intervene.

"Nudge!" I call to her, making her pause and look at me. "First, they don't want me dead at all. I'm very special and important to them. Second, there are at least six other bird-kids in the world…" I start to trail off them but then see Nudge open her mouth to start asking questions. "Don't ask about them because I'm not saying anything more," I warn her.

"Sorry," she says quietly.

"Sorry, Nudge, but it's a tough subject for me," I mutter as I realize I had hurt her feelings.

"It's okay," she replies. "I understand."

"I'm going to sleep again, you two," I tell them, feeling exhaustion begin to creep in again as if I've been using my powers all day.

"Sleep tight, Erika," Angel whispers as she and Nudge move back to their own seats without another word.

I close my eyes, falling asleep in minutes. The next time I wake up it's because Fang is silently shaking me awake. I raise a sleepy eyebrow and he gestures to the jet door, showing me it's open and that everyone else is leaving. I smile my thanks before standing up, stretching as I move, and following him off the plane.

Jeeps are waiting for us at the airport, and we all hop in as they drive us to Young Max's mother's house. I'm fighting to stay awake as the sleepiness hasn't worn off yet the entire trip. It isn't until we finally get to the house that I'm fully awake, and that's only because my mind starts to race at the idea of staying with Young Max's Flock and Max's family for any length of time.

Young Max's mother, who I finally learn is Dr. Martinez, leads the way into the house with Young Max following her Flock. The other Max leads her family into the house with me bringing up the rear behind the other two scientists.

I walk in on a girl with dark skin and hair hugging Young Max with Dr. Martinez just to the side, smiling at both girls. _She must be Ella. _Ella hesitates for a few moments before hugging Angel enthusiastically.

Looking around the room, I spot two men walking into different rooms of the house. My face furrows in confusion for a moment before I feel eyes on me and hear Ella whispering to Nudge.

"Who's she?"

I feel another set of eyes join the first before Nudge replies, "That's Erika. We met her in Itex over in Australia. She's like the rest of us so we brought her with us."

_Oh, that's kind, Nudge. Make me sound like a tag-along why don't you?_

I turn to face Ella and smile at her as she's not the one annoying me; she's just curious. It's obvious I've surprised her enough that she smiles without thinking about it. I walk over to her so that I can say hello.

"You must be Ella, Max's half-sister. Nudge and Angel were telling me about you in the jet on the way over here." She smiles and nods. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too, Erika," she replies with her smile still on her face.

Just then the men come back in, one with medical supplies and the other with food. They're probably the guards Angel mentioned earlier on the jet.

I let Ella and Angel wrap up my wrists and other wounds before grabbing some food and finding a place to sit quietly in the corner so that I can watch the interactions. They're all laughing and having fun, just like a real family; just like Alexa, Jen, Victoria, Kyle, Erik, Brandon, Shawn, and I do. A lone tear falls down my cheek as I watch this huge family, which is really three different groups that are close enough to be one, have something my family has never truly had the chance to do outside of my paradise.

As no one is paying attention to me and I'm done eating, I sneak out of the room and fly up onto the roof, staring at the night sky and the stars. It's a full moon tonight, and I can see almost every single star above me.

Finally, alone and in peace, I let myself cry for what I've never really had, what I've lost, and what still might be if the others are alive.

I barley notice as the night wears on, my tears drying on my cheeks, the redness of my eyes going away, and my exhaustion growing. All I can do is look out at the night sky, wishing so much could have happened that didn't.

I'm not even sure when I fall asleep, but I do, and I wake up when someone flies up onto the roof and settles next to me. Moving stiff muscles from sleeping sitting up in a ball, I turn to see Fang looking out over the forest behind the house. He's got a backpack over one shoulder, and his black wings are stretched out behind him, like mine had been last night for a while.

"It's hard, isn't it?" he asks after a while without moving his head as we both look out over the trees.

"Yes," I admit softly.

"Maybe this will help," he says as he moves to take off his pack and open it, pulling out a laptop and placing it in the space between us. "Use it as long as you have to," he tells me before he jumps off the roof and uses his wings to slow his fall.

I stay staring out at nothing for a while before finally moving out of my ball and placing the laptop on my lap. Opening it, I realize it's an Itex laptop. Smiling slightly as I realize what this could do for me, I begin searching for the only people I can ever call family.

It takes hours, but I finally find them. Actually, I'm surprised to look up and see that it's sunset again when I finally find part of my family. My stomach is growling terribly as I groan slightly, realizing I haven't eaten anything in around twenty-four hours, which is really bad for an avian-hybrid like me.

Much to my surprise, though it really shouldn't be, just as I think that, Fang comes up with a tray of food in his hands. He sits in the same place as earlier and puts the tray between us.

"Thanks," I say softly as I pick up a drumstick and bite into it while my other hand lowers the screen of the laptop until it's almost closed all the way.

"No problem," he replies. "Dr. M and a few others were worried about you, really," he adds after a moment. "I didn't tell them where you are; only that I know and that you're fine, but they were still worried and sent me to give you food. Had to sneak around a bit before flying here, but I don't think they'll find you."

"Thanks," I repeat as I realize that he's keeping an eye on me as I deal with everything. I turn to look at him a moment later as I realize that's the most I've heard him talk since meeting him.

As I eat, we both sit in silence for a while. When I'm done, neither of us moves. After the moon is up and all the stars are visible, Fang finally moves, getting ready to go back inside. That's when one thing hits me.

"Angel?" I question, knowing he'll pick up my meaning.

"She understands as well," he informs me as he shakes his head. "She's not going to tell; got Max annoyed at her slightly for it, but Angel's strong, stubborn, and kind; she won't give in to Max. You won't be found most likely until you come down."

I nod in thanks and watch as he jumps down the same way as yesterday. He really does get what I'm going through, and only Angel – and probably Ozy, too, now that I think about it – can understand me, and they only know it because they can read my mind at times. He just gets it.

Sighing, I decide that I should go inside for the night. I'll come back up here tomorrow and continue looking for the others; I've only found Erik and Victoria so far.

Mimicking Fang, I slip in the back door and see only Fang is still up. He smiles a tiny smile before gesturing to the other couch, which has a pillow and blanket ready as if he was expecting me to be coming in.

Smiling a slightly bigger smile and Fang's, I slip onto the only empty couch in the room and look around to watch the others all sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor. I guess Fang got them to save the couch for me tonight.

A quick cock of my head to listen upstairs confirms that the rest are all upstairs asleep.

After meeting Fang's gaze and thanking him in a way words just can't, I quickly fall asleep.

Young Max walking down the stairs wakes me up as I'm not used to that sort of noise. She sees me on the couch and opens her mouth to say something until I put a finger to my lips and gesture around the room. Young Max nods and then gestures for me to follow her outside.

Careful to avoid hitting anyone, I follow her outside.

"You okay?" she asks quietly.

"I've been worse," I reply, unable to explain what's going on with me. "It'll get better in time."

"Good," she sighs in relief. "If you hide again, at least come back at night, okay?"

"Sure," I reply. "Couch is comfier than where I slept the first night anyway. And no, I'm not saying where," I add, anticipating the question before it comes. She just nods in understanding.

Fang slips out and walks over to us. He gives me a look with a raised eyebrow as he holds out the laptop again. I smile slightly in thanks and take it from him. Young Max looks at us curiously before she shrugs as if realizing we won't be telling her anything and goes inside.

"Teleport there," Fang mutters under his breath. "I'll bring you breakfast when we're done." He walks away after catching my slight inclination of my head.

Picturing the roof, I teleport there. Once seated in the same spot as yesterday, I open the laptop and begin searching for Alexa and the others. I work straight through the day, finding them all one-by-one, only stopping when Fang brings me meals after they're all done inside. He understands my thanks even though I never voice it; I don't have to.

The only interesting thing going on is that I can hear conversations going on in the house about everything, though I'm a major topic between Dr. Martinez, Max, Young Max, Ella, Angel, Fang, and Matthew, with Nudge into it once and a while. It's interesting to hear their thoughts on me, my behaviors, and what they want to do with me.

When night falls and it's late, I close the laptop with only Brandon to find, though I think I have a good feeling of where he is, and teleport right outside the door before going in to find the same situation as last night. Slipping onto the couch, I thank Fang silently and we both fall asleep quickly.

The next morning, Fang wakes me up before Young Max can come down, and I leave for the roof again with the laptop, Fang following a few minutes later with breakfast for both of us. We eat in silence, and I begin searching for Brandon once Fang leaves. It isn't all that hard, really.

Looking at the screen, I can see all of my old friends, and they're all alive and being a problem for Itex. Victoria, Erik, Brandon, Alexa, Jen, Kyle, and Shawn are all alive and causing rebellions over in Europe. They're all over in Russia at the same Itex branch, and they're working together to cause trouble. It's amusing to read, really. This also makes my job a lot easier, as I just have to go to one place to find them.

Looking on the internet, I see where I can catch a flight to Russia and that it leaves in a few days, plenty of time to get to the east coast if I push myself. I listen carefully to the talk in the house.

"What are we going to do with her?" Young Max asks.

"My family will take her. She's older anyways and belongs more with my group than yours. You're only fifteen," the other Max answers.

"That's true I guess. Well, why don't you offer tonight at dinner and see what she says?" Young Max questions.

"I will," Max replies.

_At least they're planning on asking me_, I think and sign at the same time.

A noise behind me makes me spin around and I see Fang climbing over the top of the roof from where his window is on the other side of the house for the first time since we've started this routine, which makes me wonder if he's been listening too or if he just knows I'm ready to leave. He sits next to me quietly and just leaves me to my thoughts.

I hand him his laptop and nod to him in thanks. He just nods back while not moving his head at all. We sit here like this for a while before he turns to look at me.

"Erika, I know you've heard what they've been talking about. They don't realize how much the sound travels when you're on the roof. Plus, they don't know you're up here, though it should be obvious by now…" Fang trails off.

"Yeah, well then you know that I'm going to have to choose tonight if I want to join that family of theirs," I say bitterly.

He cocks his head to the right while looking into my eyes as he tries to read me. "You don't want to join their family?"

"No. I have a family. I've always had a family. I didn't tell you the full story when I told my story because I've never told the full story. Victoria and Erik are the only two I've ever spoken about, but I've got a bunch of others in my family. I need to find them and finally reunite us. We've never all been together at once, only at separate times." _At least physically, _I add mentally.

"Then go," Fang states without looking at me; he's looking at the trees again.

I had faced the forest as well, but now I spin to face him. "What?"

"I said go. You aren't happy here. You miss your old friends and want them back. I've seen what you look at on my laptop. You look at seven people over in Russia. They're your family, Erika. Go over there and get them together."

Fang is looking me in the eyes and I realize he's being quite serious, which surprises me more than anything else he's done. He's actually telling me to go and find the others. I really didn't expect that one.

"Erika, go get your family together. Do what we're doing here and in Australia. Get your family and take care of Russia. Heck, get those rebels your family have been making and make an army to take care of Russia. We'll cover the Americas, Australia, and Asia. You cover Russia. Meet us in Africa when you're done, and we'll all work together to take care of Africa and then Europe." Fang has a half-smile on his face as he looks at me and tells me an idea of what I can be doing.

"You mean… You're telling me to join you all without joining you?" I ask, shocked a bit as what he just said finally sinks in.

"Basically. Become the leader I see you as and take over your own team of mutants and help us bring down Itex," he says matter-of-factly.

I smile, stand up, and put on my backpack that I had decided to bring up here with me today, guessing there might be a slight chance I'd want to leave today.

"Thanks Fang," I mutter, finally saying the words I haven't been able to say aloud before more. "Please, tell the others thank you and that you can count on me to take care of Russia. Itex is going down." I shake his hand before giving the stiff boy a quick hug, open my wings, jump of the roof, and fly towards the east, done thinking about what I want to do and just doing it.

I realize my bag is heavier than when I brought it up onto the roof, so I check and realize that I now have an Itex laptop, one of Fang's many. I smile and continue towards the east coast.

_Thank you Fang, for everything you've done for me.

* * *

_**This chapter managed to reach 15 pages somehow. It's the longest chapter of this story, and possibly the longest chapter I've ever written besides the One-Shot I wrote that's 8,000 words, but it also isn't a chapter. As you can all see, this is the end of Erika's time with the Flock and the beginning of the end. There are three more chapters, and I think you'll all love every single one of them. If you all can't guess what's going to happen after this chapter, I'm going to have to ask you what you're using to block your brain out; that or if you're male, because then it might just be testosterone. :P I'm joking about that last part, if you can't tell. Anyway, tell me what you thought of this 6,610 word chapter please. This is one chapter I really want a response on because a lot of this wasn't in Old and New Attack, yet it has to do with the Flock.**

**Oh, if any of you are wondering, I'm back in Florida and sitting in my own home. I think the cat missed us. She was actually cuddling with us last night, which never happens the first day home after we're in Canada for a month; it usually takes at least a week.**

**Posted: 8/6/10  
**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty-One**

After getting off the plane in Russia, I heft my backpack over my shoulders and leave the airport. It's odd flying on a plane and not with my own wings, but I know that to get to my friends, I need to take the less comfortable route.

I had spent most of my flight looking through the files downloaded onto the laptop, which I had put on there at night on my way to the airport. The laptop has files on experiments, scientist profiles, maps of the world, different Itex branches, and blueprints of different buildings on top of the normal things a laptop does including the Internet.

Finding an alleyway somewhat close to the airport, I unfurl my wings, enjoying the sensation all I can, before pushing off and stretching my wings to fly. Smiling lightly, I turn towards the branch of Itex that my family is at.

I fly for at least five hours, my mind not really thinking about anything the entire time, before I spot a large building coming up in front of me. Said building is made of stone, really large, has a courtyard, and there's a fence around it that has the crackling sound that screams electrified.

As fly higher to hover a good couple thousand feet above the building that looks like a very small castle, I watch the building to see what the defenses are; the laptop hadn't had that information.

Much to my surprise, as I flap my wings to stay in place, I hear a bell ring from the building below. The sound of footsteps reaches me as a couple hundred experiments exit the building and enter the courtyard. I see a bunch of people have different types of balls with them: soccer balls, footballs, dodge balls, baseballs, and even basketballs.

The experiments split up into groups. Those with dodge balls head over to either the corners of the courts to play four-square or stay near the building, setting up a game of real dodge ball. The few with basketballs set up a couple of games and use the hoops on the side of the castle to play. Those with footballs just throw them back and forth, only one game of touch football being played. The last group, the one with the soccer balls, makes up four teams and start two different games in the middle of the court.

_Man… Victoria telling me about all of those games really did sink in, I guess_, I think a bit sadly as I watch the different games going on.

The football game gets a bit rough, but they all look to be having fun. The four-square games are moving quickly, some of the experiments using powers or their extra speed to make it all the more interesting. Basketball is definitely for those with speed or the couple who can teleport like me. Dodge ball is being played by those with excellent reflexes or just powers that can stop a ball from hitting them or a teammate.

It looks to me as if the soccer games are split; one is being played with powers while the other is being played without. I'm going to take a guess and say that soccer is one of the more played games in the no-power game as it's a lot fairer compared to the other games.

As my gaze is on the no-power soccer game, someone kicks the ball out of the area and towards the gate. Watching an experiment run out to get it, my mind starts getting this feeling that it's trying to tell me something.

The boy – I think he's a boy as he has short, black hair – grabs the ball, runs back to the outside of the area, and throws the ball back in to a girl with blond hair, who kicks the ball easily to another girl with brown.

As I watch that team of seven dominate the other team of seven, it hits me that I _do_ know what my mind is trying to tell me. The dominating team of seven is my family.

A light smile spreads on my face as I realize that my family is not only alive but having fun together.

Still smiling, I stop flapping my wings for a few seconds, falling a bit, but I don't dive all the way as even I know that someone could be watching from inside the castle. Once I'm a bit closer and can actually see the faces of my friends with my raptor vision, I stop diving and hover again.

The soccer game goes on until my family wins. When they do, they pass the ball to the other team and let another challenge begin; they obviously don't want to play anymore.

All I can do is watch as my family walks towards the fence and sits down in a circle. They start talking back and forth about who knows what.

An idea hits me and I fly so that my shadow, which is small but there, is in the center of the group. No one really notices as it is pretty small. I dive down a bit more and my shadow grows.

Alexa is the first to see it, and she points it out to the others. I smile once they start looking up and soar higher, not wanting to catch more attention from the other experiments, or worse, the scientists.

I have to hold in a laugh as I watch their eyes widen as they realize what they're seeing.

_ERIKA! _Brandon yells into my head. Is it even possible to yell in your head? Well, I guess so, because he's doing it.

Suddenly, a huge wave of conversation flows into my head, all in different voices.

_Erika! _All seven of my friends are calling to me in my mind. I don't know how they're doing it, but I have a feeling Brandon's power is a lot stronger now.

_Hey guys!_ I call back to them, my smile larger than since I had been forced to leave Flint; not even in the dreams did it get this large, though it's been close a few times.

_How in the world did you get free?_ Victoria screeches into my mind, making me wince in pain; I'm guessing the others do too. _Sorry… _Victoria whispers into our minds.

_Eh… I just met the two rebel groups in Australia, and they freed me when they escaped,_ I reply as if it's no big deal, though I'm smirking as I know they can't see it.

_WHAT? _they all exclaim, unable to believe it.

_Yup, _I reply, my voice now showing the smirk on my face. _So… How are we all talking like this? Last time I talked to you all, you weren't able to do this, Brandon._

_Oh… _Brandon starts, sounding a bit embarrassed. _I got upset with Erik during a mind conversation, and I started projecting our fight that followed to the others. When they told me about it, I tried projecting other thoughts as they came to me; this is the result. I'm sort of like the connection between whoever I choose to be able to hear the conversation._

_Sweet, that'll make this so much easier,_ I reply.

_What easier?_ Jen asks, not catching on yet.

_Getting you out of there,_ I reply as I roll my eyes.

_How are you planning on doing that?_ Alexa asks, her voice full of hope, but it's also full of worry, almost all of it for me.

_How are you all kept in the courtyard right now?_ I ask, knowing that if they could get out, they'd just fly out.

_They put something around our ankles, _Shawn replies, putting his leg out a little into my view so that I could see a red, metal band around his left ankle. _The one time Kyle tried flying above the fence level, he got electrocuted with so much electricity that he was out cold for three days._

_It HURT! _Kyle almost yells, which shows how much it hurt as he never admits to being in pain unless it's _really_ bad.

_Is there a way to unlock it?_ I ask.

_There's a keyhole right by where it's all attached, _Brandon says slowly as he studies his own manacle.

I smile slightly as I carefully pull my backpack off my back. Opening the front, small pocket, I grab something small. After putting my bag back on, I open my hand enough to study the single lock pick in my hand.

When I had searched my bag to see what was in it, I had found this along with a few medical supplies and the laptop that hadn't been in my pack before. It seemed that Fang had managed to slip more than just a laptop into it while I was asleep one of those nights.

_I've got an idea, _I finally say, which makes the impatience that had been starting to slip through the minds of a few in the group go away.

_What?_ Victoria asks, her impatience still slightly there.

_Alexa, look up for me_, I request; I see one of the brown-haired girls look up. _Catch_. I drop the lock pick right in Alexa's direction.

A smile covers my lips again as her hand flies up and catches the lock pick in midair.

_Where in the world did you get a lock pick?_ Alexa asks as she starts working on unlocking her manacle.

_A friend slipped it into my bag while I was sleeping along with a laptop and some medical supplies. Oh, and enough money to catch a plane and get food for a while. _I shrug even though I know they can't see it. _I don't know more than that._

_A LAPTOP? _Kyle exclaims, more shocked by that than the lock pick.

_An Itex one,_ I agree. _From what I could tell, he has at least three in total, probably more._

_Nice friend, _Shawn comments as Alexa finally gets the darn thing off her ankle and passes the pick on to Brandon, who gets to work quickly.

_He was the nicest one in the group, though all of them were kind_, I reply, not really in the mood to talk about it right now.

_Alexa, just go fly up to Erika_, Jen says softly.

_Not yet,_ Alexa replies. _I'll go when it's only one more person left to be free. We can't give this all away too soon; we'll get caught before we can escape if we do._

_Oh… good point… _Jen admits as Brandon hands her the lock pick.

We all go silent as the lock pick is passed from Jen to Shawn; Erik and Victoria are next to go. When the lock pick is finally handed to Kyle, Alexa stands up, stretching her wings out, being careful not to hit the fence.

_You all follow along when Kyle is done; make it quick_, Alexa tells the others before pushing off from the ground and soaring up to me.

_Why does she – _Kyle is suddenly cut off, telling me that Brandon is giving Alexa and me peace and quiet.

Alexa comes to a halt right in front of me, her wings flapping in sync with mine. Neither of us moves except for our wings. We just stare at one another, unable to believe that this is actually happening. All of us had given up hope at the idea of being together at once, me seeing even one of them again, and the least hoped for from the beginning, being free. Now, we're getting all three of them at once.

Suddenly, we both move at once, our wings touching as they move, our hands out between us, intertwined with the others. We both want to hug, but we can't until we're out of the air.

With that thought, I give Alexa a look and she nods, one side of her mouth flicking upwards for just a moment. I look down at the ground a ways away from the castle momentarily, and then we're there, our wings still touching and out hands between us.

The moment our wings are tucked in enough that they're out of the way, my arms are around my sister, and her arms are around me. I press my face into her shoulder, and I feel her doing the same. A few tears escape from my eyes and fall onto her shirt, my joy is that extreme.

I don't know how long we stay in this position, but I hear the others all flying towards us and pull my head off her shoulder, lifting it up to the sky to see the others joining us; Erik is being carried by Victoria.

The weight of Alexa's head disappears as she too looks up at the others. We both move so that we each have an arm around the others waist, but we aren't in a full hug anymore. My smile is so huge now that it's hurting my face a little.

"Erika!" Victoria yells as she places Erik down and runs towards Alexa and me, tucking in her wings as she runs.

I let go of my sister just moments before my best friend charges into me, her arms hugging me so tightly that I can barely breathe. We would have fallen if I hadn't expected this from her and prepared myself. I grab her tightly and un-bend my knees, the chance of falling gone.

"I missed you so much," I whisper in her ear as I pull her closer to me.

"I missed you, too, Erika. I missed you, too," she replies in the same quiet voice as me and then lets go.

Just like in our last shared dream, Kyle, now twenty, grabs me in a hug so tight that it feels like he's going to crack a rib. Twenty-two-year-old Shawn comes and grabs me solidly, yet gently. Jen, the same age as Kyle, hugs me tightly, but her hug doesn't hurt me, unlike Kyle's. Brandon, now twenty-one, holds me close with one arm and pulls Alexa into the hug with his other arm, hugging us both at once; Alexa and I each put an arm around Brandon and the other around one another.

When Brandon and Alexa let me go, I turn to the one person who has barely made himself known this entire time: Erik.

Erik slowly walks up to me, his brown eyes staring into mine. It's been six years since we truly last saw each other, yet I feel like it's been ten times longer and also only a day.

A smile flashes across his face, making his eyes shine. The look in his eyes makes my own smile grow just that little bit more.

Finally unable to hold myself back, I throw my arms around Erik and put my head on his chest as his arms circle around me, holding me to him lightly. No tears come to my eyes as I stand here with my arms around my other best friend, but finally being able to see him again is making me so happy right now.

Letting go of him reluctantly, I pull away and look at my family all together. As I watch them, each one of them reaches under their T-shirts and pulls out a leather cord. Watching them all pull out one of my prized possessions, I too bring out my feather necklace while my other, older one, still somehow around my wrist, is grabbed by my left hand.

Out of the others, only Erik and Victoria still have the old ones, also around their wrists, but it doesn't matter; we all still have one, which is the important thing. We all know what it means to have one of these necklaces: We will always have our family in our hearts.

Sighing happily, I let go of my necklaces and sit down on the ground. The others mimic me, Alexa on one side of me and Erik on the other with Victoria next to him. Alexa pulls Brandon down next to her while Victoria pulls Kyle down. Jen and Shawn sit down across from me without having to be forced.

"Do you all want to help get rid of Itex for good?" I ask my family, already knowing the answer.

"HELL YEAH!" Kyle screams. Victoria hits him upside the head and he actually looks ashamed of himself. I'll have to talk to her about that later.

"Duh!" Jen, Shawn, Brandon, Erik, and Victoria add after Victoria is done shutting up Kyle.

"How?" Alexa asks, which tells me she wants to, but she's also very curious.

I pull out the Itex laptop Fang had given me and open up the file that shows all the Itex branches in the world. Shawn and Jen get up and sit behind me along with Brandon and Kyle so that they can all see the screen.

"The Flock, which is a group of avian-hybrids – one of the ones you once told me about, Victoria – that's entirely made up of bird-kids younger than us. Those six are taking care of both Americas.

"Another group of avian-hybrids, which is a mixture of younger and older, is taking care of Australia, New Zealand, and Asia." I look at the others to see that they're following me.

"When they're done, they're going to meet up in Africa and take care of Itex there before moving on to Europe." I see Erik and Alexa both nod out of the corners of my eyes.

"Fang, one of the people in the Flock, told me that if we want to help, we should cover Russia, since we're already here. If we destroy all of Itex here, we can meet up with them in Africa or Europe and help them end this for good." I close the screen and turn to face my family.

"I was with them in Australia and watched how they destroyed that branch of Itex. It's not easy at all, and it'll always be very dangerous. We'll have to kill; we might be captured; and we definitely will need to find the supplies to make bombs. If we do this, I might be able to contact Fang and find a way to get money, but we'll have to be on the run a lot."

The others all share looks. I have a feeling they're still going to go along with this, but I need them to know what they're getting into before they agree.

"I'm in," Erik says with no hesitation in his voice.

"Me too," Alexa and Victoria say in one voice.

"Let's get rid of Itex!" Kyle exclaims, not earning himself a slap this time as it wasn't really that loud.

"Let's do this," Brandon, Shawn, and Jen agree.

"Then let's get started with this branch," I reply, reaching into my backpack and pulling out a handful of objects that look like little metal marbles.

"Uh… what's with the metal marbles?" Kyle asks.

"They aren't marbles," I reply as I slip them into my pocket and grab a wristwatch from my bag and slip it on my wrist before pulling my backpack on.

"What are they, then?" Erik asks.

"Bombs," I reply as I stand up and help Alexa stand up as well.

"How in the world did you get those past customs?" Jen exclaims as she stands up, her face a mask of shock.

"Iggy and Gazzy, the ones who make bombs on a regular basis for the Flock, worked hard to create a bomb that doesn't look like a bomb or act like a bomb unless they're activated remotely," I explain as I remember Iggy and Gazzy explaining the designs to Icarus and Matthew; I had asked for a bunch of bombs during the week in Australia. "They're more advanced in how they're made, but they're a lot weaker than an atomic or nuclear bomb."

"So you're saying that those bombs don't show up as bombs on any scanner until activated?" Shawn asks, trying to clarify before Jen explodes.

"Yup; Iggy and Gazzy are pyromaniacs and it shows in how well they can build bombs." I unfurl my wings and move to grab on to Erik so that I can fly him with me.

"I'll make him light for you," Shawn says as he sees I'm going to be carrying him. I nod my thanks.

We all take off, Erik extra light in my arms, and head towards the castle again. Hovering above it, the others all turn to me.

"What's the plan?" Victoria asks.

"You all know a few experiments that would be willing to take the others to another country or maybe even back to the U.S.?" I ask.

"Yeah," Brandon replies for all of them after they obviously have a silent conversation; I can tell because a few people make faces.

"Find them fast, and tell them to get the others out," I basically order, taking over as leader of the group. "Victoria, Erik, you both will come with me as we place some bombs around the building."

"Sweet," Erik says quietly, though I still hit him upside the head for it while my other keeps him against my chest. "Ow!"

"Be fast and silent," I continue, pretending the whole Erik thing hadn't happened.

"I can make us silent, remember?" Alexa says from next to me. I smile at her.

"Please, do it," I request.

"It's done," she replies after a moment. "Only those we chose and the eight of us can hear one another." I nod in thanks.

"Meet up here in fifteen minutes at the most," I finish.

"Wait, what about the manacles and the fence?" Victoria asks suddenly as she looks down at the still-full courtyard.

"We'll bomb the fence as well," I decide after thinking about it. "Tell the experiments to stay in the middle of the courtyard and away from the fence and the building until all the explosions are done. That should cancel out the stupid manacles." The others nod in understanding.

"Come on Victoria," I call. "Let's leave these five to their search of the courtyard."

I dive, still holding Erik, and just barely unfurl my wings before I land on one of the lower roofs of the castle. Victoria lands next to me moments later.

Letting go of Erik, I head towards the door that leads into the castle. None of us are trying to hide, really, but we're all trying to keep quiet. When we find an empty room with only a few tables in it, we slip in and close the door.

"Okay, we're going to place only a few bombs in this building so that it doesn't go up in a huge ball of fire," I state, remembering the Australian branch and how the four boys had demolished it.

"How many are we placing then?" Victoria asks.

I'm about to reply when I hear footsteps coming and switch into sign language, knowing that we have to keep silent and this is the easiest way to talk. Why I didn't think of it earlier, I don't know, but I didn't.

_Thirty or forty, possibly more_, I sign after making sure both of them are looking at my hands.

_How many for the fence?_ Erik asks, unusually serious as he realizes this isn't the time for joking or fooling around.

_One every few hundred yards,_ I reply, knowing it would be best.

_How are we going to do this?_ Victoria asks after a few moments of no movement as we listen to the footsteps fading.

_Each of us will take ten and put a single bomb in the middle of the room, in every two or three rooms, along the outside of the castle. Then we'll put another bunch in the middle of the building. _I pull out the bombs and hand ten to each of them before pocketing the rest.

_Along the fourth side?_ Victoria asks after she pockets her own.

_Only three or so; we don't want the explosion getting to the courtyard from there._

Both of them nod in understanding and we leave the room, heading out into the hall. When we get to a four-way corridor, I stand in the middle and try to figure out which way is south, which leads to the courtyard. Once I have it, I sent Erik east, Victoria west, and I go north. We agree to meet at the front entrance when we're done, Victoria and Erik each putting two in a room along the way.

Walking as quickly as I can without making much noise, if any, I reach the hallway the farthest north I can get in the building. Once there, I head east and slip five bombs into rooms. Then I go back to the corridor I had originally been in and go west, again slipping five bombs into the rooms.

Finished, I head back to the middle and go to the entrance. When I get there, Erik is already there and Victoria is almost there. Sharing a smile, we all head back up the hall I had just used. While walking to the entrance, I had placed a bomb in the area that I was pretty sure is the middle so that we can find the middle easier.

Reaching the bomb in the middle of the hall, I leave it there and we walk into the different rooms, not leaving a single room without at least a bomb in it, two in the ones with lab equipment.

What I had found out quickly was that most of the rooms along the edges were bedrooms or testing rooms. When I placed a bomb, I preferred to put them in the testing rooms, but I put some in the bedrooms to make the explosion a bit easier.

Overall, the middle room actually got a good fifteen or twenty bombs alone, but the three of us know that destroying the lab equipment and data is more important.

One thing I have to admit is that I had searched all the rooms in the middle, as well as any that looked like scientist bedrooms or offices, and stole money and three more Itex laptops. With eight of us, having four Itex laptops would be a major advantage. Besides, that means we'll have the information that we're about to destroy.

Moving quickly out of the building, we head to the fences and attach the bombs to them using little hooks built into them. The bombs are placed carefully on the outside of the fence so that at least a tiny little bit of the explosion won't go inwards. We're also very careful to not touch the wires with anything but the bombs, which absorb the electricity for some reason.

When we're done, we meet up with the others in the courtyard. All of the experiments are in the center where the soccer games had been earlier. Looking at the sea of faces, I see a lot of scared looks, though there's obviously hope in most eyes, and determination in a few.

_You guys done?_ I sign to Alexa, slower than I would with Erik and a lot slower than with Victoria, though all three of us need a little practice to make the signing natural again.

_All done_, she replies, using the knowledge gained through shared dreams to understand and use the signs, though she only knows a portion of what Victoria, Erik, and I know; Erik doesn't even know three-quarters of the ones Victoria and I do.

_Good, let's get this party started, then._ I catch the eyes of all my friends, and they all nod.

Lifting my right wrist up, I put a finger to the button on the side of it. I count using the fingers on my right hand so that they know when to expect it. _Five… four… three… two… one… _I press the button.

"_BOOM!"_

Every single one of us in the courtyard stares at the building as random windows that only make sense to Victoria, Erik, and I are blown out. The roof above the center of the building explodes and collapses. The fences suddenly all fall down, the electricity in them cut off. A fire is spreading in the building and screams of pain are heard from the scientists inside the building.

"MOVE!" I yell at the top of my lungs, launching myself into the air. Victoria grabs Erik and follows me into the air, the others following.

We watch as the experiments realize they're free and follow the leaders my friends had chosen out of the Itexicon area, leaving behind a ruin of a building.

My friends all look to me, grim but happy and proud looks on their faces. I smile a half-smile in their direction before turning and flying south, away from the place my friends had been trapped and causing havoc.

* * *

**Yeah... Uh... Only excuse I have is that I got my days mixed up because it's summer and I'm not Volunteering anymore because I'm back in Florida. That's the only excuse I can come up with for being a day late. So... You'll still get a chapter tomorrow as this was my fault. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed what I originally called "Reunion" when I didn't know what chapter it was going to be, and this also shows that they are going to help. The next chapter is the after-affects of this, and the last... Well, I'm just going to say that it has been two years. ;-P Please leave a review to tell me what you thought of it.  
**

**Posted: 8/9/10  
**


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty-Two**

After we fly for a good hour, we find a forest of trees and land in them, being careful not to get feathers caught on branches. When we land, we each search for a place to sleep. Unlike my friends, I go down to the ground to find a comfortable spot to sleep; my friends stayed up in the trees on wide branches.

"Why are you sleeping down there, Erika?" Kyle asks, his mind forgetting the fact that I prefer to sleep as a wolf a lot of the time.

"Hello, wolf here," I reply before shifting into my wolf form and growling playfully.

"Oh… right… I forgot about that," Kyle admits sheepishly as he rubs the back of his head.

"She guessed that," Brandon informs him as I smile, which looks scary as a wolf, not reassuring; that's why I'm doing it.

"Argh! Don't do that, Erika!" Kyle exclaims as he looks at me again and sees me smiling. I pout up at him and make pathetic noises. "Oh, fine…" he sighs as he gives in. I smile happily again.

Erik drops down next to me and runs his fingers through my fur. I lean into his hand as he does it. The feel of fingers in my fur feels really good, and I haven't truly felt it before, even though they've all done this to me in the dreams.

Alexa and Victoria also drop down and run their fingers through my fur, liking the feel of it on their fingers, or so their faces say.

After a while of this happening, the three of them stop and I shift back into my normal form. I stretch my back as I do, my muscles a little stiff after changing and staying in a form for the first time in a while.

"Guys, I'm going to try sending Fang a message on his Blog," I inform the others as I settle down against the trunk of the tree and pull out one of the laptops. "Anyone else want to use a laptop?"

"You grabbed more?" Erik asks me, a knowing look on his face as if he knew I would do that.

"Duh," I reply. "I'm not stupid enough to leave valuable stuff like that there. Plus, there were plenty to choose from."

"Grab anything else?" Victoria asks with a smirk on her face as she comes over and pulls a laptop from my pack.

"Cash of course," I reply, but I don't give them any more information than that as I'm going to be the one to keep an eye on the money. I don't trust Kyle or Erik with it.

Shawn and Brandon both grab a laptop from my pack and then head back up the trees. Jen goes and sits next to Shawn on his tree while Alexa squeezes my shoulder briefly before going to join Brandon. Kyle and Victoria were already snickering at something on the laptop she had snagged.

I hear and feel Erik flop down next to me on the floor. Turning towards him, I smile slightly. Erik returns my smile and then turns to the closed laptop on my lap and raises an eyebrow.

Snickering lightly, I open the laptop and pull open the Internet, going to the bookmarks and finding Fang's Blog among the ones Fang had bookmarked for me. I groan lightly when I realize I need to set up an E-mail, so I do it quickly before going back to the site and setting up an account.

Once I'm all ready, I go to the newest post, which was just posted today.

_Yo._

_I know I just posted a week or so ago, but I need to post again because we just got some awesome news from our CSM friends._

_Remember that girl, Erika, that I told you about last week? Well, the CSM scientists just told us that an Itex branch in Russia is destroyed. While I haven't actually told you all this, I can now inform you that Erika went to Russia when she left us in America. I was the one to see her off, so I was the only one she told where she was going, though I didn't know exactly where._

_Because of the Itex branch being taken down, I have a good guess that Erika found her friends and had some fun with some of Ig's bombs there. Turns out Iggy and Gazzy gave her some explosives while we were in Australia. I hope she knows how to make more, because she's going to need them._

_We've now got three rebel teams in the world; the Flock here in America, the other Flock in Australia, and Erika's family over in Russia._

_Itex is going down!_

_My last message is to Erika directly. Erika, if you're reading this, I'm glad you found your family. Keep doing what you're doing. Leave a post, and I'll get you my E-mail (Only her, no one else, so don't ask for it!) so that we can get you help if you need it. Wherever you are, Erika, stay safe, have fun, and most importantly, enjoy your family._

_Fly On,_

_Fang_

I sigh sadly as I finish reading, and Erik sighs a bit too when he finishes reading it over my shoulder. Turning to face him again, I smile lightly, showing him that I'm not really all that upset.

"He sounds like he'd be a cool guy to talk to," Erik comments as he looks at the screen again.

"Oh, he was," I agree. "When he actually talked, that is," I add, a slight smirk on my face as I remember how Fang had really only talked to me when we were alone on the roof.

"Silent guy?" Erik questions, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Yup." I give Erik an inquisitive look, wondering what the look in his eyes is about.

"Sounds like you both would get along well," he jokes.

"Oh be quiet," I retort, hitting him lightly in the arm. Then, I turn back to the screen, reading the Blog again

"Are you going to leave a reply?" Erik asks after a bit.

"Yeah," I mutter before finding the reply button and opening the screen.

_Fang,_

_This is Erika. I know you've probably gotten a bunch of posts like this already, so I'm going to prove it to you. Let me just think of an idea…_

_I spent the first night and day on the roof, then slept on a couch, and finally teleported back onto the roof the next dead instead of flying up there so that the others couldn't follow me._

_That's the best I can think of, but you'd have to actually have been there to know even half of that, and I'm betting you already know the others, so I'm the only one you don't know._

_Thanks for the kind words you posted; they meant a lot to me. I'm glad I got to meet you._

_Ugh… My friend, Erik, really wants to say something, so I'm going to pass the laptop over to him for a bit, but I'll finish off the message._

_This is Erik here. I just wanted to thank you for all you've done. Not only did you look after Erika once you found her in Australia, but you took care of her after until she finally decided what to do. Please, thank the entire Flock and the other family for us all. You not only kept her safe, but you freed her, which means you freed us. Thank you._

_This is Erika again. I have to agree with Erik; thank you all, but especially you Fang._

_Pass me your E-mail, and I'll talk with you about what's going on and if we need anything. Right now, we'll be okay, but we might need help in the future._

_Oh, tell Iggy and Gazzy that their teaching Icarus and Matt how to build those bombs taught me how to do it. It'll be fun finding the parts and building them myself._

_Your Real Friend,_

_Erika (and her friend/family member Erik)_

We both put a hand on the screen of the laptop once I close the Internet screen and close it together. Then, I lean against Erik as he leans against the trunk of the tree.

"So…" I begin loudly to start a conversation with the entire group. When everyone is looking at me, I continue. "What sort of trouble did you seven get into at that castle in Russia?"

"Trouble?" Erik asks after looking up at the others as they all give him looks. "We didn't get into any trouble."

"_Right_," I drawl, "and I didn't survive two and a half years in the wilderness by becoming a shape-shifter. Tell me the truth, Erik."

Above us, everyone gasps in shock before jumping off of branches and sitting in front of Erik and I. I give them all confused looks as they all have shocked and amazed looks on their faces.

"You could tell he was lying?" Victoria asks, her voice awed.

"Well, _duh_," I reply. "I've always been able to, even when you couldn't. Don't you remember?"

"That was before, Erika," Alexa murmurs quietly.

"Okay, what's the big deal? So I can tell Erik's lying; what's new about that?" These guys are beginning to scare me a little.

"Erika," Erik says, "they're amazed because none of them can tell when I'm lying, even when it's the most obvious lie in the world." I spin around to face him, my hair hitting his face in the process.

"_What_?" I gasp.

"It's my one and only power," Erik explains as he shrugs. "No matter what I say, anyone who hears me believes it."

"So why don't I?" I wonder aloud.

"Maybe it's because you know him so well," Brandon suggests.

"Hey!" Victoria exclaims. "I know him well and _I _can't tell when he's lying!"

"Victoria, think about how well you know Erik, and then think about how well Erika knows him. Do you truly compare?" Brandon's face almost yells that he knows he's won this round.

"No…" Victoria admits slowly and a little sadly. "I guess I don't compete."

"What are you guys talking about?" I demand, turning around to face the group again.

"Erika," Alexa starts slowly as she puts her hand on my shoulder and puts a calm feeling into my body, "you know Erik better than anyone else in the world. We're saying that it's probably the reason you're the only person we've seen who can get past his power and tell when he's lying."

"I still don't see how this is a big deal, but I'll just go with it," I say slowly, truly not getting why it's so important. Besides, it'll be funny to have Erik lying his face off to the others and only I can tell that he is.

"_Erika_," Brandon groans. I just smirk at Brandon and raise an eyebrow, daring him to say anything.

"Yes, Brandon?" I lay the sweetness on thick in my voice so that the others know that I know exactly what's going on. Brandon just groans.

"I knew there was a reason that I both love you and hate you…" he mutters under his breath, but Erik and I can still hear him even if no one else can.

"Of course there is, Brandon," I say innocently while Erik is cracking up next to me.

"You _heard_ that?" Brandon asks me, amazed.

"I didn't mention the last times I talked to you that my shape-shifting gives me even more enhanced senses?" I ask innocently.

"_No_…" everyone but Erik groans; Erik is still laughing too hard to care. Besides, he didn't really mind; he could hear just about everything as well.

"Sorry, I really thought I had," I say with so much conviction in my voice that the others believe me even though I'm lying through my teeth; I had purposely not told any of them about my senses.

"It's okay, Erika," Brandon sighs.

I turn to Erik, who's finally done laughing his head off, and raise an eyebrow. He smirks as he realizes what I had just done. We continue to trade facial expressions for a few moments, getting an entire conversation done so that he figures out what I'm trying to say, before we both burst out laughing.

"_What?_" Brandon, Jen, Shawn, Victoria, and Kyle ask; only Alexa isn't curious as she can read both our emotions, and she knows me well enough to get what's going on. Alexa is actually trying to hold in her own laughter and just barely succeeding at it.

"I think we just found out why I can tell when Erik's lying through his teeth," I gasp out between laughs.

"What do you mean?" Shawn asks, his brow scrunched in a frown.

"She means," Alexa drawls lightly with an expression somewhere between a smile and a smirk on her face, "that she too can lie through her teeth without anyone knowing that she's doing it, including the mind-reader." At that, Alexa bursts out laughing too.

The others all share confused looks as the three of us try to stop laughing, only to succeed ever so slightly. It takes a minute or so, but we finally calm down enough that, if we don't look at anyone, we won't start laughing again. Once we have our breath back, we look at the others and smirk a bit at the confused looks on their faces.

"I purposely didn't tell you all about my senses," I inform them with a raised eyebrow. "You all believed me except for Erik; even Alexa did. It took Erik and me sharing a few looks for her to figure it out, truthfully."

"Please tell me we don't have _two_ people who can lie through their teeth," Shawn begs with Brandon joining in.

"I don't think hers is a power," Erik says with a laugh. "She can tell when I'm lying because she's learned how to make her face and voice so serious or so joking that you think she's telling the truth when she's really lying her butt off."

"Erik, on the other hand, can't lie as well I can," I drawl as I smirk at Erik. "His is definitely a power because he couldn't lie to any of us in the dream last year, and he couldn't do it the time you saw him before I saw you all in Africa. This isn't the sort of thing you learn in a few months; it takes years," I finish with such conviction and knowledge that the others don't question me as they know this isn't something I would lie about.

Everyone goes silent for a while before Erik's stomach growls, making everyone laugh and him glare.

"Hungry?" Victoria asks in a joking voice.

"Shut up," Erik mumbles.

"Erik, you _know_ she doesn't shut up," I remind him.

"None of you three do," Brandon adds, earning glares from all three of us that actually make him lean back.

"I've got cash, so why don't Erik, Victoria, and I go find food?" I suggest. "Victoria and I will make sure there's enough for the rest of us to eat after the bottomless pit eats," I add, earning myself a glare that I just raise an eyebrow to while the others laugh.

When Erik is finally done being angry, he stands up along with Victoria and I. While we all know Erik can't fly, the others all understand that I'm doing this because the three of us need the chance to be together again, without the others there.

I grab Erik after Shawn makes him light until we get back, and take off, Victoria right next to us. We all fly in silence for a while before I finally break the silence.

"So what's going on with you and Kyle, Victoria?" I question, remembering my thought from earlier. To my surprise, Victoria blushes and Erik snickers.

"She and Kyle are just like your sister and Brandon as well as Jen and Shawn, just not as far along," Erik informs me.

"_No way!_" I exclaim, looking from Erik to the blushing Victoria back to the smirking Erik. "Wow… I sure did miss a lot."

We continue on in silence as I digest the news for a few minutes. Now that I think about it, I can see those two together… Kyle is full of energy that's normally let out in anger while Victoria can be very energetic when she has to be and calm when she doesn't. Kyle basically needs someone who can keep up with him, but can also calm him down; Victoria needs someone to challenge her. The two actually make sense, though the idea is still a bit freaky right now.

"I can actually see that," I state, catching both Victoria and Erik in surprise.

"Really?" Victoria asks, turning to face me.

"Really," I reply. "Truthfully, you two will work well together. Your personalities clash in a way that calms them down at the same time as speeding them up."

"I see what you mean," Erik says as he thinks about it from my view.

"I'm glad you approve at least, Erika," Victoria says while biting her bottom lip as if unsure.

"I do," I reply confidently as I nod. "You'll be good for each other. Take care of him because you're the one to calm him down, and you're the one with the power, but he'll be there when you need him; Kyle is very loyal, especially when it comes to loved ones."

"Thanks," Victoria whispers so quietly that I can only hear it because I'm close to her and my hearing is good. She has a tiny smile on her face in relief.

We fall silent again as I spot lights and we head over there. After a long stop in a grocery store to get canned foods and anything else that we can carry with us that won't go bad right away along with water, we get back into the air, my backpack full of purchases and on Victoria's back as I'm still carrying Erik.

"So…" Victoria starts, continuing the conversation from earlier. "What's going on with you two?"

Erik and I share confused looks before turning to her and saying in one voice, "_Eh?_"

Victoria laughs lightly as she answers, "Oh, it's just that you two are so close and know each other so well that it's obvious you like each other."

I blink as I stare at Victoria, and I see Erik still staring at her as well as I glance down at him for less than a second. Victoria's face shows victory for some reason. Watching her, I see her smirk at Erik before her victorious smile returns and she faces forward, happy to let us think this out.

Do I like Erik? Thinking about it, I realize that besides Alexa, he's the only one that gets me; in fact, he gets me better than my own sister does, though he did have more time with me. Out of all seven of the others, I really do know Erik the best, with Victoria and Alexa both fighting for second.

Erik had always been the one to calm me down after a nightmare or after a fight. He had healed me time and time again after fights with Erasers. When I had been hurt badly by those two days with the Erasers, it was the time I had spent with Erik that had kept me calm enough to not move and to let myself heal. Even in the dreams after he left, whenever I entered upset, hurting, or in pain, he was there to hold me and reassure me; not even Alexa helped me as much as Erik did.

Now that I'm truly thinking about it, Erik had always been the one I turned to along with Alexa. Alexa is the one who helps me decide things and the one to heal me enough to go on until the next time I'm hurt. Erik, on the other hand, is the one who's with me when I make a decision and stands by me even when it goes wrong; he also heals me so much that I move on from the reason I'm hurt and fight even harder the next time.

_Erik is probably the most important person in the world to me._

I'm about to open my mouth and say something when I see we're back at the campsite where the others are all in trees, Alexa using the laptop Fang had originally given me while Brandon had obviously given the one from earlier over to Jen.

"Dinner!" I call out as we dive past them all to land on the ground. They all close the laptops and jump out of the tree, landing lightly and hurrying over to the food.

After a dinner where the others tell me that they had mostly just rebelled lightly at the Russian branch we had just destroyed, and I'm forced to tell them all about the isolation tank, the weeks in Dublin, and every detail of my time with the Young Max's Flock and Max's family, we all put the laptops into my bag with the food and get into the places we had chosen earlier.

I change into a wolf and get into the position from my time in the wilderness: Snout on my paws in front of me, ears down against my head.

The sounds coming from my family slowly puts me to sleep. The last thought I have is that my family is finally whole.

* * *

**The next chapter is the last, and it's much shorter. Truthfully, I truly did try to make this and the next chapter one chapter, but I kept adding to it and adding to it, and... Well... It got long enough that I split it up. Anyway, I'll have a final Author's Note next chapter, and until then, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. :P Oh, I might not post Thursday, so look for the chapter Friday. I'm out of town.**

**Posted: 8/10/10  
**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty-Three**

I open my eyes and I find myself human and looking up at a blue sky with a lot of grass around me. Sitting up, I find myself surrounded by my family, all of whom are rubbing their eyes as if to get the sunlight out of them. We're in my paradise, sharing that dream that was supposed to come two years later; it's been a heck of a two years.

Once everyone is able to see, we all lie on our backs and stare up at the sky. All we do for a while is just watch the clouds.

Eventually, Shawn drags Jen off in the direction of the forest, both of them jumping from tree to tree along the edge of it; Shawn is using his air to make his jumps higher while Jen uses her earth to make it all easier.

Next to go are Victoria and Kyle, who head off to the lake so that Victoria can mess around in the water and Kyle can just practice making shapes with fire in the air above the water.

Finally, Alexa squeezes my shoulder and leaves with Brandon to go over to the obstacle course. The two of them begin racing one another.

It's only Erik and I left now. We're both still just looking up at the clouds, my mind not thinking about much of anything except how peaceful it is in my paradise.

"Erika…?" Erik asks hesitantly.

"Yes, Erik?" I reply.

"Did you think about Victoria's question at all?" I sit up to look at him, surprised by the question as I hadn't been expecting it from him.

"Yeah, actually, I did," I admit as he sits up as well, our knees touching as we sit face-to-face.

"And what did you think?" Erik's voice is still hesitant, as if he wants to know but doesn't want to push me.

"Well, I was comparing you to Alexa," I say quite truthfully; the look on his face tells me he knows I'm not lying. "I realized that while Alexa is very important to me, one person beats her as the most important person in the world to me." Erik's head, which had fallen to look at our touching knees, shoots up to stare at me in disbelief. "Erik, you mean more to me than anyone else in the world," I whisper softly.

"Re-really?" His voice stutters as disbelief colors his voice.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," I respond. "I don't know what I'd do without you in my life, Erik."

"I've felt like that for years," Erik says quickly, as if trying to get everything out and not thinking he can do it. "When I first met you, you were hurt and wounded – and I don't just mean physically. The thing is, I knew even then that you'd become my best friend and the one I'd always care for. There was just _something_ about you…" Erik trails off.

"Either way," he continues suddenly, "I've known for a really long time that no one could understand me like you do. You've always been the most important thing in the world for me; ever since I first met you."

I can only gape at him for the next few moments before everything he said shoots through my mind at the same time as every memory I've ever had of him. He's always been kind, protective, sweet, loving, caring, and anything else that I needed at the time. He's not lying at all.

I look Erik in the eyes, and I see something in them that I've always noticed but never recognized or been able to name: It's love. He's always had it in his eyes, and I have a feeling that he always will.

Closing my eyes momentarily, I find my feelings for Erik and realize that they're beyond just caring for him. Not only is he the most important thing in my life, but the only one who can ever fill that spot.

Looking into his eyes, I see them widen as shock begins to merge with the love in them before it goes away, the love becoming more pronounced. Raising my hands, I smile slightly and let his fingers intertwine with mine.

Without any warning, Erik gently pulls me to him. One of his arms goes around my back while the other continues to hold my other hand right between our hearts. Putting my hand gently on his side, I smile up at him.

Right here, with his arm around me, my arm almost around him, and our hands twined together, I finally feel a peace flow over me; it's as if my entire past is gone and none of those horrible things ever happened to me.

Then, Erik lowers his face to mine and places his lips against mine softly. My entire body feels like it's heating up with a fire that was never there before. The soft feel of his lips on mine shocks me so much that I can't think, I just move.

I turn my head to the side slightly and push my own lips a bit harder against his, a smile working its way onto the ends of my lips. A slight movement of Erik's lips tells me that he too is smiling gently.

When we pull apart, the kiss done, the fire still stays in me, this time emanating from the hand on my back, the arm around my waist, the hand intertwined with mine, my knees touching his, and my hand on his side.

For the first time in my life, everything seems perfect for me.

I may have agreed to fight against Itex, but I'm fighting for what's right and by my own choice, not someone else's.

Itex no longer has me; I'm finally free from Itex.

My family is free; we're all finally together at last.

Erik is with me, and we both finally realize what we have.

For the first time since the dreams started all those years ago, when we wake up, nothing will change except for the scenery. We'll all still be with one another; we won't be apart.

I can finally fly away from my problems.

My dreams for a better world can become a reality.

My life is my own, not someone else's.

_**I am**__** FREE.**_

_**Fin.**_

_**

* * *

**_**I was going to say that I did warn you I was going to Orlando (Anyone going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter any time soon... It is so worth it! Go to Hogwarts, even if the line is over an hour long!), but then I realized this was the last chapter, so...****I've got some things to say instead.**

**After 150,000+ words, 43 chapters, 10 months (almost exactly), and 166 reviews (as of this moment), this story is done. It took a long time, ended up shorter than I expected (I'm actually not lying...), and there was a lot of work and thought put into it, but it's done. All of you who have read this story, whether you've reviewed or not... Thank You. It was seeing the number of hits and getting those reviews that kept me writing this story. It doesn't matter if you haven't reviewed at all, if you have only reviewed a single time, if you've reviewed on basically every chapter, or if you've reviewed on every chapter since you've found it: They all meant so much to me.**

**I've got to personally thank Vamps-with-Wings, one of my good friends on here, for reviewing every chapter, even if we've both done them in groups at random times after ignoring updates for weeks. The next is The Layman, who's been with this story since chapter two and always has his two cents to add; thanks! Finally, Don't knowDon't careDon't ask because even though you haven't been with me the whole time, your reviews have a lot and made me think a few times; plus, they were awesome reviews.**

**For those I haven't mentioned, I love all of your reviews. These were just the three that always stood out. I read every review I get, reply to those I can, and enjoy every single one of them. Thank you for all of the reviews and support!**

**Now... I've got an idea on my Profile for the sequel to Old and New Attack, which is where chapters 37 - 40 come from, but I don't have a title idea, and there's a 4-way tie on my Poll, so I'm going to need a name. Just... I might not write that story for a while because I've got a Harry Potter idea I've been working on, but it will be written, and if you want, I can PM anyone who wants to be notified that I'm working on it. Erika and her family WILL be in it, and I might even use Erika's POV again while writing it. It's certainly tempting.**

**So... Until next time I write, I truly hope you all enjoyed this story, like how I wrote it, and thought the ending fit. I had the kiss as an idea for the ending since the very beginning, so it was bittersweet to finally write it. I just hope you all thought it fit.**

**Please, review one final time and tell me what you thought of this chapter and this story in general.**

**Miz636 or Miriam**

**Posted: 8/13/10.  
**


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